Beauty and the Vampire Beast
by Magsmacdonald
Summary: A modern, vampire version of the classic tale featuring the SVM/TB characters we all know and love, sometimes a little OOC, but always with the goal of illustrating growth and change. Some G/E, with E/S HEA in mind. Mean Eric in the beginning.
1. Prologue

**Hey all! I'm back. I have my new story - a vampire story this time. It's got some different themes - so just so nobody is surprised: Eric is a mean vampire for a while. I do promise a HEA for Sookie and Eric - eventually. You won't even see Sookie for several chapters - so be patient. I have 16 chapters written out (with lots of edits going on while I build the foundation). They will be posted slowly - I mentioned this with Nowhere to Now Here - I like to mull over stuff too much to release them quickly. As it is - I spent this past week making the decision to finally post. **

**I have not approached a beta - I had one volunteer from my last story - let me know if there is any interest. I am a pain in the ass - like I hold the chapter close to me for a while, then panic and need a beta. **

**Well - without any further babbling - here is the kick-off to Beauty and the Vampire Beast.**

**~mags**

Prologue

October 15, 2003:

Outside Shreveport, LA

At Shreveport's premier vampire nightclub, Fangtasia, Pamela Ravenscroft sat on the throne waiting for her vampire maker, Eric Northman. Pam's fangs, Gothic clothing and perfectly coiffed hair attracted plenty of attention from the fangbangers, a name used to describe the sycophants that follow vampire hoping to be bitten. She had just kicked away yet another human when she felt Eric arrive through her maker/child bond. Standing from the throne, she bared her fangs to the humans blocking her so she can meet him in his office, the fangbangers part as expected. Once in the office she asks, "Eric, is there a problem this evening?"

"Why do you ask Pam?"

"You haven't been replying to my texts."

"I was flying."

"Did you land here? I didn't hear the usual squeals from the fangbangers when you land outside Fangtasia."

"I landed down the street and ran to the back door. They would have only seen a blur from my running."

"The humans call that fast running 'vamping', Eric, get with the lingo." She chuckled at the word. "So, if you were flying instead of driving your car that usually means there is some urgency. So I ask you again; is there a problem?"

"No problem Pam, just interesting developments." Pam sat and motioned for Eric to continue. "You know I have Jason Stackhouse imprisoned in a cell."

"Yes, blood on tap."

Eric smirked before he continued. "Well, his sister came to rescue him today."

"Have you killed her yet for finding one of your resting places? How did she find your building? OR wait, you told me Stackhouse is delicious, is she also delicious? Do I get to help you drain her? Is it an early Christmas present?"

"Pamela! You have to stop talking to so I can answer questions." She stopped speaking and nodded to acknowledge her maker. After settling into his office chair, he finally answered. "She is even more delicious than her brother and I am keeping her, not draining her."

"KEEPING HER?! Why would ….. Wait. Is she the one?"

"I have considered it, though it's hard to believe after waiting almost 25 years." He paused; then added quietly. "Honestly I started preparing myself for failure a few years ago. I was sure I would never find the woman that Godric challenged me to find. It didn't dawn on me right away that she could be the one."

"Uh oh, so did you treat her badly before you realized the possibility, did you taste her forcefully?"

"Yes, we have damage control to do."

"OK, we'll make her forget your sheriff mode with glamour."

"We have to do so sparingly; remember we glamoured Kathleen and Godric rejected her?" He signed; then continued. "I suppose we can explain to him why we needed use glamour just this once."

"I think he would be fine with altering her memory with glamour just this once. It was the fact that YOU didn't feel anything for Kathleen that Godric rejected." Pam stopped to think for a moment. "Her name is Sookie, right?" Eric nodded. "I remember it from the background checks on Jason. So how do we deal with the fact that Jason is in custody?"

"Oh, you'll love this. Sookie already discovered I was holding Jason for his blood."

"How did she figure that out?"

"She is quite clever."

She giggled. "Jason's sister is clever? That's, Eric, that's funny. …. But does she realize that if you didn't like Jason's blood, you would have killed him?"

"I explained that several times."

"Tell me more, what's she like?"

"She's curvy and blond and feisty." He laughed, "When she announced to Jason I wanted him because he was tasty, she put her hands on her hips and glared at me to challenge her statements."

"She challenged you and lived?"

"She challenged me and I got hard."

"So you fucked her?"

He shook his head. "She's a virgin; I could smell it when I got close enough."

"Holy shit Eric. She's got to be the one, right? Does she feel like she could be the one?"

"Yes. I could see her being the one."

"Then, let's get busy."

**A/N:**

**REFERENCE: ** This is what I mean for some of the terms in my story. I will add to this as chapters are written - so check back if you have a question:

Blood Bond - For my story, a permanent blood bond is formed by three exchanges (not just a human taking blood three times).

Were - Werewolf, only one with the upper case W

were - (lower case intentional) - one of the other familiars (were-panther, were-fox)


	2. The Ultimatum

Chapter 1 – The Ultimatum

September 1979

New York City, NY

Eric's eyes opened and he immediately heard his Maker. "You can come out, my child, the light is blocked."

With that confirmation, he rose from his coffin to kneel before Godric, his vampire maker. "Master, it is good to see you. It has been too long."

Godric reached for Eric to pull him up up from kneeling. "Yes my child it has. Let us visit while we wait for the sun to set. We will need to leave for the conference shortly after dark."

Eric and Godric moved to sit together on the sofa in Eric's room. Godric started. "How is Pamela?"

"She is well. She is in Minnesota right now. Once we are closer to the reveal, I plan to call her back to me. I want her close in case there are any problems. She sends her regards."

"Yes, that is a good plan. Perhaps I will call Pamela directly to catch-up – I think that is the phrase."

Eric chuckled, "Yes, I believe that is the phrase. You are always trying to adapt." … "How is Isabel, your second?"

"As efficient as ever, I have no worries having left her in charge while we are meeting. Remind me, who is your second with Pamela gone?"

"Indira. She is a faithful servant and does all that I ask, but when Pamela returns she will gladly step down."

"Are you enjoying your role as Sheriff?"

"You already know that answer. I hate being a Sheriff, but it's the best way to maintain my autonomy without the full trappings of being part of the monarchy."

"Ah, speaking of monarchy, how do you think the reveal will go?"

"I am certain many are concerned, those that like to be in the shadows."

"Like DeCastro in Nevada?"

"He does like his donor pool."

"Ah, if I recall, many are there unwillingly. Something your own Queen would never do."

"My Queen is a bit soft when it comes to captivity given her own experience. DeCastro does have captives but I understand that he treats them well. Why do you appear displeased with his methods? They are just humans Godric. They are beneath us."

"Eric, have I taught you nothing? No respect for others?"

"I respect other vampires. I don't see humans respecting their cattle. What is the difference?"

"The difference is that humans did not start life as cows. The difference is the cows CANNOT have a conversation with humans."

"Godric …. I don't understand. You taught me to survive, to be fierce; to be selfish. You taught me the only emotions worthy of a vampire were hate, revenge and respect. I don't understand what you are saying."

"When we were first together we did need to fight to survive. We did need to keep our emotions contained. Things have changed, my son. The world has changed. Do you not see it?" He looked at Eric for a moment, hoping to see some understanding, but Eric continued to stare at him blankly. "I also taught you to adapt. I told you this when you made Pamela. I saw that you loved her and I praised that emotion. Do you not recall that?"

"We have not been lovers for decades. I care for her, respect her and will protect her with all that I am, but I do not love her. If I love anyone it is you."

Sighing, Godric replied. "Eric, being lovers and loving someone can be two different things. She is your child, you love her as your vampire child, as I love you."

"But Godric, we are lovers when we are together."

"We don't have time to continue this right now. We must get ready for the conference. I am heading back to my room and will meet you in the lobby in 30 minutes."

"Very well."

Godric considered Eric's stubbornness as he showered for the evening. '_Where did I go wrong with Eric? I know I taught him to guard his emotions in our first centuries, but the world changed, we need to change. We discussed this when he first made Pamela. I will need to discuss this with him further. He is so closed and anti-social he will not adapt to the Great Reveal. I fear many of our kind will not_.'

He continued his thoughts as he dressed pondering on how to help his child. Knowing they had a great deal of business to get through, he finished up and left for the lobby.

Eric meanwhile was wondering '_when did my maker become so weak? What is all this talk of respect for HUMANS, and love? He is broken and I will find a way to fix him_.'

"Godric, the car is just outside."

"Let's go then."

They rode in silence, each lost in their own thoughts about the other. The car stopped at the large private home of the Vampire Sheriff of New York Area 1, Thomas Welch. He was the favored child of the Vampire Queen of New York, Elena Ulanov, though they did not expect to see her Majesty in attendance this evening.

Eric and Godric exited their car and entered Thomas' home. The dining room had been set up as a donor selection area and the conference would start after each representative had fed. Eric spotted his meal right away and moved towards the curvy blond. Godric chuckled to himself. '_He has always been partial to curves and blonds. I bet he wants to bring her back with us tonight._'

After they both fed, Eric asked Godric. "Would you mind if I brought a donor back with us tonight?"

Godric couldn't contain his laugh. "I was waiting for you to ask. As soon as I saw you with her, I knew you would want her. You need to be sure she doesn't belong to the Sheriff, otherwise, I am fine."

"Godric, I know to check with the Sheriff. He has already agreed and he provided me with the address she needs to return to at dawn. She does belong to him as part of his permanent donor pool, but he has no problems sharing. You see, he knows they are just cattle."

"I have a mind to deny your request after that comment, Eric. We have no time to debate now; they are calling us into the meeting."

Eric scowled at his maker, but moved with him into the living room which had been furnished to host this conference. An over sized oval table dominated the room and was surrounded by large leather chairs. To the side, a vampire stenographer sat poised to take notes, and on the back wall was a table with a punch bowl fountain and glasses which would be filled with donor blood for their first break. Eric and Godric took their assigned seats and waited for the meeting to begin.

Once all the attendees were seated, Thomas stood and announced, "All rise."

Eric barely refrained from rolling his eyes as the elected Chancellor, Fons Hermans, entered the room dressed in a ceremonial robe while a trumpet announced his arrival. _'I hate pomp and circumstance and this idiot is over the top. How did he get elected to lead us through the Great Reveal? Oh yes, his pretty face and Belgian accent.'_

Thomas then instructed the attendees to "Be seated." Everyone took their seats and he continued. "We will now confirm the representative for each region. When Chancellor Fon Hermans calls your region, please confirm your Name and Title for the record."

Eric struggled to hold in another eye role as the first region was called. '_There are FOUR OF US in here plus the Chancellor and stenographer!_' He screamed in his head but his facial expression remained impassive as the regions were called.

"Moshup?"

"Thomas Welch, New York, Sheriff of Area 1."

"Amun?"

"Eric Northman, Louisiana, Sheriff of Area 5."

"Zeus?"

"Godric, Texas, Sheriff of Area 9."

"Narayana?"

"Olga Krol, California, Sheriff of Area 2."

The Chancellor rose and started the meeting. "This is the first meeting of the American Council on the Great Reveal. I have been elected Chancellor of this Council and all activities pertaining to the Great Reveal. Our first order of business is…"

The Chancellor droned on about the Japanese company's work on synthetic blood, the key to the vampire reveal. Both anonymous investors in the company, Eric and Godric passed amusement to each other through their maker and child bond. The Chancellor was actually supplying updates on the company's progress that were about 3 months old. Wanting to keep their involvement with the company private, Eric and Godric said nothing.

The Chancellor reminded the attendees that the blood was being researched and developed for human use when blood transfusions were needed, but in reality, the company was owned by a group of vampires who had their own interests in mind when starting the research. Human trials would still be needed once the formula was perfected, and they felt it would be almost 10 years before the synthetic blood would be ready.

Having completed the update on the synthetic blood, he launched into the purpose of the conference. "The synthetic blood is necessary for our reveal, but it's only part of the planning. We have several topics we need to work on:

*Identifying the 'face' of Vampire for the reveal

*Writing policies for Vampire / Human relations

*Agreeing to changes to our current behaviors with regards to humans - in short, no hunting

*Establishing the announcement plans

*Determining what parts of our hierarchy we are revealing

and finally,

*Creating an action plan for dealing with any situations that occur after the announcement

Our goal for the next three days is to create some initial plans that you will take back to your regions for review. We will continue to meet via the phone during the year, and will then meet in person again annually, as needed, until we are ready for the reveal." He stopped speaking for a moment while the blood fountain was filled. "Our refreshments have been brought in, so let's take a break."

After the break when the meeting resumed, they all received packets of information to review for the next night. The packets contained the current behaviors that would need to be altered at the reveal and the existing hierarchy organization charts in America. Eric groaned; the list of behaviors to be altered went against the core of what it meant to be a vampire. Vampire WERE predators by nature. '_How can any vampire expect to control their innate need to hunt? I will need to discuss this with Godric before our meeting tomorrow._'

"For tonight," The Chancellor started, breaking Eric away from his thoughts. "We will discuss the need to have a face of vampire for humans."

Two long fucking hours later, Eric and Godric were about to leave the house with the curvy blond. "Eric, introduce me to your friend." Eric stared blankly at Godric for a moment and Godric said, "You don't even know her name?" Then he turned to the girl and introduced himself. "My name is Godric, what is your name?"

"I'm Tiffany."

Eric glared at Godric and raised his hands, palms facing out, at his side as if to say 'with a name like that she is not expecting to be introduced.' Godric turned from Eric to Tiffany and said. "I'm sorry to disappoint you but I believe Eric and I need some time to ourselves. We will see you again tomorrow night." Then he grabbed Eric by the arm and led him out to the car.

"What was that about Godric?" Eric asked when they were in the car.

"We will discuss this back at the hotel."

Eric respected his maker, but he was really pissing him off. He stewed on the drive back to the hotel, through the lobby, then up the elevator. By the time Godric opened the door, Eric was ready to explode. With the maker / child bond they shared, Godric felt all this and decided to just let his child yell it out. He was not disappointed. "I wanted that girl tonight. What the hell were you thinking? You are my maker and I respect you but you have no right to tell me who I can and cannot fuck. What is going on with you? You're acting like….like a human. Where is this coming from?..."

Eric continued on for another 20 minutes while Godric sat in silence. He knew Eric's emotions were in turmoil and that turmoil was not just because he prevented Tiffany from returning with them. No, he felt his anger and disbelief as he read through the behaviors that would no longer be permitted for vampire with the reveal. At about 1000 years dead, Eric was one of the oldest vampires in the states, most of the monarchs not coming even close to his age. Living as a hunter for that long would be hard to change. Godric knew this, being about 2000 years dead himself and he knew how hard he worked on his own to control his urges in the past few centuries. He knew Eric first needed to learn respect for humans, well really any species other than vampire. Only then could he start to curb his need to hunt. He sighed and decided to stop the rant.

"Quiet my child."

Eric opened his mouth to speak again and Godric simply repeated, "Quiet."

"Sit Eric, we need to talk about this." Godric situated them across from each other on the armchairs in the room. Then he started. "Eric, you will need to learn control over your urges with humans. I felt your anger when you were reading our handouts at the meeting. You need to accept that these changes ARE coming and you need to prepare."

"I will not live like that. I will find a way to maintain my way of life."

"You. Will. Not."

"You would command me?"

"That is not my wish. My wish is to teach you about the things you are missing in your life and have you understand yourself how life can be lived."

"Godric, what are you going on about? Nothing is missing in my life."

"Tell me about your days my son."

"I rise usually an hour and a half before sunset and use that time to check and act on the investment and other business reports from my day person, Nathan. I shower and prepare for my day. One of my businesses is a nightclub and I use it to hold my Sheriff meetings until about 2AM. By the time I end my Sheriff hours, I will have selected my meal and fuck and had her sent to a room under the bar. I entertain myself with the human for a few hours before applying glamour then I return home. I read until an hour or so after sunrise, when I feel the pull. I admit the Sheriff duties can be tedious, but there is nothing missing from my life. Well except tonight when you denied me the blond."

Godric stared at his child for a few moments, dissecting what he just heard. _'Where did I go wrong? When did I change and not my son?_' After a few moments, he finally responded to Eric. "And from where does your happiness come? What connections have you made to others? Who holds your regard? What are you building for yourself besides wealth? We have long since ended our need to rise each day with the goal of surviving. I know the survival instinct is important and still present, but we have an opportunity to do much more than just watch our backs and find a meal." Godric paused to gather his thoughts. "I have failed you my son. I have taught you to survive, but not how to have a life of meaning. But dawn is approaching and we need to prepare ourselves. Stay with me this day. My bedroom has been made lightproof and my day man is a Were who will also serve as our guard."

"Certainly Master. I only regret we have allowed our talk time to prevent other more pleasurable activities."

"Agreed, we will be sure to save time tomorrow night."

With that, they made themselves comfortable in the bed, Godric wrapping himself around his son protectively, and they died for the day as the Were entered the living room of the suite to serve as a guard.

The next evening, Godric rose before Eric and he spent the time thinking about their discussion the night before. '_How can I teach him? He needs the connection that I made to a human. A human that I still love and miss to this day. He never met my Maria. It was her love that helped me tame the beast. Eric needs love, not vampire lust, but love. Yes, this will work_.' Smiling at his plan, he moved to take a shower and start his night.

Eric rose as Godric was drying from his shower. "Master, good evening."

Godric was amused, '_he's trying to be in my good graces tonight. He wants that girl. He is going to be disappointed_.'

"You need to dress so we can depart as soon as it's dark."

Eric nodded and headed for the shower. They each spent time reviewing some of their business reports until the sun had set then they headed for the meeting.

Once in the house, Eric went directly to the curvy blond from the night before and greeted her loudly so his maker could hear. "Good evening Tiffany, how are you?"

Godric shook his head. Changed at the human age of 24, 1000 years dead and he still behaves like a little boy sometimes, this time trying to curry favor by remembering the girl's name. '_He is not going to be happy with me, but it must be done. I will alter his attitude.'_

After their meal, the vampire moved to the conference table to start their meeting. Fons arrived into the meeting again with pomp and circumstance and Eric groaned internally. After the meeting attendance was taken again '_for the FOUR of us!_' they moved into the topic of the night: policies for human/vampire relations. Eric started off with a suggestion. "Has anyone considered that as the stronger race, we should just take over and rule the humans?"

Godric, normally stoic, openly gaped at his child. "Eric, how could you suggest that?"

"I agree with the Northman." Olga chimed in.

Godric looked around the room. "Surely, you don't all have the same opinion?"

Fons and Thomas both shook their heads no, but it was Fons that spoke. "In the conference calls held with monarchs across the GLOBE, this tactic was already dismissed. Olga and Eric, you will work with the information already in your packets, meaning, establishing guidelines for living IN PEACE with humans and other races."

When Eric looked to interrupt, Fons pressed on. "Eric, you are older than most vampires, have you not learned by watching the humans over your millennia that trying to oppress or remove an entire race never works? Your Maker Godric can certainly recall more. Genocides of Amalekites and Midianites, Ethnic cleansing of Circassians, The Holocaust…..you would choose to be a race remembered for the destruction of another race as with these examples?" Eric could only gape at Fons.

Godric was relieved by the Chancellor's statement, and while he was still horribly angry at Eric, he wanted to move the conversation along. "Fons, I suggest that the topic of human relations crosses into the hierarchy we may need to disclose."

"Explain your thoughts, Godric," The Chancellor asked him.

"After the reveal, humans will need a representative for reporting incidents and coordinating with local enforcement." He paused then made his proposal, knowing his own child would be infuriated. "I propose the Sheriffs we already have in place fill this role."

Eric clenched his jaw and turned to his maker, fury clearly in his eyes. "You would expect us to deal with our own area vampires and whining humans?"

"I would expect you to do your job with the area vampires so you don't have ANY human issues that require your attention. I believe this option allows us to keep the monarchy hidden while still naming contacts for every area. A win-win I think would be the phrase."

"Starting to learn the pop human lingo already Godric?" Thomas asked.

"I believe we need to adapt to survive."

They continued to discuss Godric's proposal for several hours. Their discussion points were recorded by the vampire stenographer and would be distributed for further discussion within their own region. After spending several hours on the topic, Fons suggested they break and then move onto to the discussion about hunting.

'_Finally, I cannot wait to hear the other's opinions on the ridiculous proposal that we stop hunting humans. Godric will realize he is wrong._' After finishing their bloods, they returned to their seats to begin. Fons started. "As I mentioned before the break, we now need to discuss the need to stop human hunting not just at the time we reveal but now, as we approach the time of the reveal"

'_NO NO NO NO'_ was the screaming word repeated in Eric's head as he heard Fons speaking about the necessity to stop hunting now. He had to speak up. "Chancellor, forgive me." The Chancellor nodded his head and sat, relinquishing the floor to Eric. "Are you suggesting that we go against our nature? That we really stop hunting?"

"I am, and many of the monarchs have already expressed the need for this."

"Humans are cattle; they are here to provide us food."

"Whether I believe that or not, the bottom line is, those 'cattle' have managed to invent many methods and devices that will simply prevent our ability to hunt without ramifications. Remember, the monarchs globally have already deemed we will not go to war or take over the humans. As Godric already said, to survive, we must adapt and change our behaviors. That starts with the representatives in this room." He turned to Eric specifically, "does anyone have a problem with that?"

When Eric saw that everyone in the room consented, he reluctantly agreed.

"Good, then let's change this overall mandate into the specific regulations and decide when and how this will be disseminated."

They spent another 2 hours on the topic before Fons closed the meeting for the night. Godric spent most of the meeting in reflection. _'Eric seems more brutal in his attitudes that I recall from our last visits. Are all vampire like this? If so, I am not sure I want to be around for the reveal.'_

Eric noticed his maker's mood darkening as the meeting progressed. He suspected it was not the meeting that was the cause, especially with all the suggestions being made for 'making peace' with humans. _'INSANE!_' As soon as Fons closed the meeting, Eric left the room in search of Tiffany. When he did not find her, he turned to Godric. "I guess I don't get my fuck again tonight."

"No Eric, you don't. I asked Thomas while we were on break to remove her from the premises."

"So instead we are having the discussion _AGAIN_ about how I am a disappointment because I choose to live as my nature dictates."

"Come, we will go to the hotel, and you WILL leave your insolence behind."

They left Thomas' home and took a car to the hotel. Once in the room, Eric sighed. "When did I become a child that needs to be scolded every night?"

Godric sighed as well. "I don't even want to try having this discussion tonight. I find I am weary after the meeting and I simply wish to spend time reconnecting with you. Come, let me pleasure you."

Godric moved to the bed and reached for Eric. Recognizing that Godric really wasn't going to talk about humans and adapting, Eric decided to ignore the comments he wanted to make to his master and join him in bed. He had always enjoyed coupling with Godric and his maker was the only man he had ever shared such intimacies. They met in the bed and started kissing while they worked to remove each other's clothes. Eric especially loved Godric's tattoos and he spent time touching, nuzzling or kissing each one of them as it was exposed. Godric felt his son was the most beautiful man he had ever met and he gazed at his child hungrily while removing each article of clothing. He moved down to take Eric's significant length in his mouth and Eric groaned. In Eric's opinion, no woman could compare to his maker's mouth and he cried out when Godric sucked and then started tugging on his sack. Godric knew his son was ready to cum so he ramped up his attentions and started swallowing while Eric was fully down his throat. Just as Eric began to cum, he released his lover's cock from his mouth. Wanting to use the cum for his next act, Godric put his hand in the stream and directed Eric to get on his hands and knees. Once Eric was in position, Godric used the dead semen to lubricate Eric's puckered hole and pushed his fingers in to prepare Eric. Feeling his cock grow hard again, Eric turned and begged his maker to enter him and Godric complied. Godric pumped in and out while he firmly stroked Eric with each pump. In turn, Eric reached his arm around to touch Godric as he fucked him. Godric began to groan and swell and with a few final pushes, they were both cumming. Falling together onto the bed, they wrapped their arms around each other and entered their day death.

The final night of the meeting was more of the same, discussion, arguments and finalization of the information packets each representative would review with their region.

Godric and Eric were in the car returning to the hotel. They had spent the late afternoon in silence while they worked and prepared for the meeting. The silence between them continued while at the meeting. Again, Eric felt despair, disappointment, anger; all coming from Godric. The despair concerned him the most though. _'I will talk with him after this meeting is over. Perhaps we need to spend some time together to renew our connection.' _Eric decided to end the silence when they returned to the room. "Godric, will you please talk to me?"

"Yes, we should talk." He motioned for Eric to sit and when they were both comfortable he began. "Eric, I am conflicted. If your reaction to the reveal is typical, I am unsure I want to participate any longer."

"I would prefer you remain on the committee for the reveal, but if it troubles you so, I am sure your monarch will release you."

"It's not just being on the committee. I don't know if I want to be part of the reveal at all."

"Godric, the reveal is global, what do you…..NO! I forbid it."

"YOU forbid it? I hardly think you are in a position to tell me what to do."

"Godric, I cannot go on without you. You don't seriously want to meet the sun?"

"No I don't, but I find I don't want to see you resisting the need to change, to grow more. Two thousand years Eric. I have seen much, I have done much. You are my greatest creation, but I have failed you and I find I cannot live with that knowledge. I ask you to adapt or you will dishonor me in my death."

Eric groaned, "Not this again. This cannot be about me."

"It most certainly IS about you. I realize after these three nights that you have not adapted over the years. I have failed, and I cannot find a way to fix this. I can only hope my final death will have a positive impact."

"A POSITIVE IMPACT? I will go on a killing rampage; my anger over your leaving me will never end. Is that what you want?"

"At least you will feel the pain of my loss. You will realize hopefully that feel that pain because you loved me. But, no, I don't want you going on a killing rampage; you will be sentenced to the true death yourself. I will command you before I go to prevent that."

"I will break that command if I have to, that is if I don't find a way to stop you from meeting the sun."

"Even if you could stop me, why would you force me to continue to live when I don't want it? How could you be so cruel?"

"I am NOT the one being cruel."

Ignoring the last comment, Godric continued with the business part of the discussion. "I spent my time before the meeting reviewing my affairs. I have left everything to you and Pam."

"You are doing this NOW?" Eric's shock and sadness evident in his voice.

"Yes, I am going to the roof in a few moments."

Eric dropped to his knees in front of his maker and was speechless at first. Finally he spoke, "Godric, Master, FATHER, don't leave me." Bloody tears started falling down his face. "I cannot survive without you." He stopped for a moment and looked up to Godric with a resolved look. "I will go with you."

"No my son, you will not. I command you to stay here." Godric started to move away but Eric stopped him by grabbing him around the waist.

He voice broke and he sobbed before he spoke. "I beg you, tell me what to do."

"THIS is what it takes for you to follow a request?"

"Please, anything."

"Love."

"What?"

"Love, I want you to love someone and be loved. Not vampire love, but a human girl."

"I do not know how to love. Ask me anything else. Tell me to stop hunting and I will."

"No, this is my request." He stopped and appeared to be thinking further. "I will give you time to accomplish this, I give you 25 years."

"And you will stay with me? You will not meet the sun?"

"As long as you work towards this goal, and you love and are loved by a human within the next 25 years, I will not meet the sun."

"I do not know how to do this, but I will. I swear it."

Resolved for now, Godric commanded, "Rise my child." Eric clung to his maker for several minutes before Godric told him to wash before they went to their rest for the day.

Having been shaken by Godric's actions, Eric asked quietly, "Will you come to the shower and wash me Father?"

"I will."

With only a few minutes before dawn, Eric and Godric settled into bed. Godric spent a few seconds thinking over the conversation. He smirked to himself at Eric's promise. _'He is going to screw this up many times before he gets it right, I will need to keep a close watch that no woman are permanently harmed in the process. This has to work. This has to teach him that there is more to his existence than working, feeding and fucking. He will probably try to use the years to convince me I am wrong. Oh Maria, my Love, please hear my plea. Help me with my son. Help him open his dead heart to find love as I found with you so many years ago.'_

Eric was also pondering the conversation. _'I have 25 years to get him to see reason. Oh, I'll try it his way; I will find some human to train. It has been many years since I trained a slave, but I can make a woman love me. But I will also work to show Godric his philosophy is wrong. We will move past this. I am sure of it.' _Satisfied with his plan, Eric fell into his day death with a smile on his face.


	3. Not what I meant

**Wow – I'm loving the folks who added my story as a follow or favorite. Remember – I also live for reviews. Hmm, my guess is I'll get some from the chapter. You will hate Eric after this one. Rest assured, he does get better - this is NOT the Eric you will see through the book (I'm positive cause I wrote him that way in later chapters.). Remember, he's learning here.  
**

**This chapter contains master/slave relationships topics. I don't think it's too bad, but I wanted to warn you just in case.**

**~mags**

Disclaimer: I own nothing here, no characters or the basics of the plot, I don't even own my house – just ask my bank!

Chapter 2

April, 1986

Shreveport, LA

"Welcome to Norse Enterprises." Eric stated as his guests joined him in his large conference room. "It is a pleasure to host our second Reveal Conference here in Louisiana." The group that met seven years ago had re-grouped to continue their work.

Fons addressed the group informally, "I never imagined it would take so long to meet again. Then again, I was surprised by the delays in the completion of synthetic blood."

Godric addressed the comment on the blood: "It is the testing cycles and approvals from organizations such as the FDA in the US and the MHRA in the UK have slowed the progress. The requirements for clinical trials are onerous, and the liaisons from these organizations seem resistant to the whole concept of a synthetic blood substitute and they challenge the scientists at every opportunity. While the scientists believe the testing is adequate, they require trials that track the impact and reactions over years, not days, weeks or even months. This has required our revised timeline. In fact, what is hoped to be the final trial recently started, and it will be a 10 year time period."

While the room grimaced at the ten-year timeline Fons turned to Godric with a curious look on his face. "Yes Godric, thank you for that summary." Fons concurred, though he wondered how Godric knew the details of that update when he had only been made privy to that information last month.

Wanting to keep his financial interests in the company creating the substitute quiet, Godric explained his answer to Fons, "I am one of the oldest vampires in the world; I have connections to many, including our Japanese counterparts who work with the human scientists." Fons nodded his understanding.

As the host, Eric moved the group to the table to begin the meeting. He introduced Indira, a vampire who would be serving as scribe. Thomas looked at her equipment curiously, "What kind of stenographer equipment is that?" He asked as he pointed to the large white box with keyboard.

"That was just released by IBM. It's called an IBM Convertible PC. It's a portable PC and Indira's typing speed allows her to take our conversation down directly, no translation required, and she can print out the notes before we leave in the morning. We can move it as needed throughout the meeting rooms." Thomas continued to gape at the white box. "Really Thomas, the technology strides by humans is the reason for our reveal, we should take advantage where we can."

"Forgive my staring Eric, but at our last meeting, you seemed reluctant to change with the times."

"Nonsense. I may want to continue my vampire habits, but I have always taken advantage of new technology." He turned to the vampires gathered around the table. "Shall we begin?"

The group met for about 5 hours and broke for the night; each member taking an hour to present a summary that represented their region's opinions, feedback and expectations for the reveal. Once Fons felt they had made enough progress for the night, he dismissed the group to a local hotel owned by Eric for their safe daydeath. Eric welcomed Godric into his home for the duration of the conference. He was quite excited to spend time with Godric for the rest of the night since Godric arrived just before dawn and they had no time to connect. _'I cannot wait for him to meet Theresa. He will see her love, and his threat to meet the sun will be over._'

Godric could sense Eric's feelings as he drove him home. "What has you so excited my son?"

"I am eager for you to meet someone."

"You have someone at your home?"

"I do. Her name is Theresa. I think you will like her very much."

"Well, if you are so excited, I am as well. Why did I not meet her this morning?"

"She was already asleep when you arrived."

"I see."

They pulled up and passed through the security gates and wards for Eric's property. Godric commented on the wards he felt. "You have found a powerful witch to create protection wards; I don't recall them at my last visit."

"Yes, I added them about 4 years ago. I met and hired a witch at Queen Sophie-Anne's palace, Octavia Fant."

"I have heard of Ms. Fant. She is reputed to be one of the most powerful witches in the states."

"And, here we are."

Eric and Godric made their way from the garage into the house, specifically, the kitchen. Godric saw a lovely, curvy blond standing, ready to greet them both. She bowed and simply said, "Master" to Eric; then turned and said, "Master Godric" to him."

Eric beamed. "Is she not beautiful?"

"Yes Eric she is. Perhaps I can get to know her better, let's visit in the den."

Eric backed off and pointed to the den with his arm, suggesting the way for Godric. Theresa interpreted Eric's motions incorrectly and moved to walk in front of Eric. After her first step, Eric roughly grabbed her arm, and pulled her behind him while saying "you don't walk in front of me, you know this." At this, Theresa bowed and asked for forgiveness. Eric raised her chin to meet her eyes and grimaced out, "You have embarrassed me in front of my maker; we will deal with this later." Tears formed in Theresa's eyes but she nodded; then fell in line after Eric. Once in the den, she promptly knelt at Eric's feet, her eyes glued to the floor.

Inwardly, Godric groaned. _'I was afraid of this, he created a slave. I am certain he is about to have her profess her love for Eric, even right after that incident."_

While petting Theresa's head, he asked her, "Theresa, tell Godric about yourself, about our relationship. I give you permission to look up as you speak."

"Thank you Master…..Master Godric…." She began, but Godric interrupted her.

"You may call me just Godric my dear."

"Thank you Godric." She looked at Eric and he nodded is approval, so she continued with the speech they rehearsed. "I am twenty two years old. I came to live with Master about a year ago after we met at his night club. I am very lucky that Master chose me as his companion and I love him with all my heart. I live only to please Master."

'_A year, I doubt we can undo the damage from Eric easily_.' He pondered, but asked. "Tell me of your days, what do you do when Eric is resting?"

"I am mostly on his schedule, I go to sleep about an hour before he does, and wake in the early afternoon. I prepare my meals, tend to his gardens, and read the books chosen by Master. I am working to improve my conversational skills for his pleasure by reading classic literature."

"Yes, the classics always a time worthy endeavor. So you have an interest in gardening?"

"Master has asked me to learn about gardening so I have an activity that takes me outdoors at least once a day. I was new to gardening when I moved here, so he hired a tutor."

"So, you were not interested in gardening or fine literature before Eric?"

"No, Master has provided me with pastimes that fit into his life so I can pleasure him even more."

"What did you do before you moved here?"

"I was in college, studying to be a nurse."

With that, Godric glared angrily at his son, but said nothing. He wanted to learn more about this relationship. Eric was shocked at the anger he felt from Godric, and he blamed Theresa. They had not rehearsed some of these answers, so she should have turned to Eric rather than blurting them out. Something she said obviously upset Godric and she would be punished. He asked Godric, "What has upset you?"

"We can discuss it later, but essentially, she was planning on a career…." Godric stopped when his phone rang. "I am sorry, this is Isabel and she would only call if something was urgent. I will be back in a moment."

Godric left the room and Eric glared at Theresa. She cowered away, not understanding what had happened. "You upset him," Eric started and then stood. "Come."

Theresa obediently stood and followed Eric out of the den. She knew where they were going. It was where they went anytime she needed to be punished, though she did not know why he was upset now. Sure she stepped in front of him, and she knew he would punish her for that. It had been so long since she made such a mistake, but that usually was only a spanking in her bedroom just before she went to bed. '_He is truly angry and I don't know why. What is he going to do? I have not needed a severe punishment in a few months_.'

Eric opened the door to the guest room he used to dole out punishments and Theresa entered. "I will be back in 5 minutes; prepare yourself."

"Master, I…" WHACK! He backhanded her across the face. "Do not make me repeat myself, do not make this any worse than it already is." She bowed and moved into the room. Remembering the rules, even though it has been a while, she stripped and kneeled in the center of the room, waiting for Eric's return. A combination of fear of the punishment and sadness at disappointing her Master created a flood of tears she could not control.

Eric returned as promised and moved to a case on the wall. "You took liberties answering questions we had not rehearsed. You know better, you should have turned to me for guidance. My maker is upset and that cannot go unpunished." He chose a whip from his collection, one he knew she hated above the others. Then he grabbed her hair, yanking her to stand and guided her to a bar along the wall. Knowing what to do, she bent to hold onto the bar and waited. Eric always made her wait once in position, knowing the fear was a huge part of the punishment.

After 5 minutes, Eric raised the whip, preparing to tear into her backside when Godric walked into the room. "Stop." Godric commanded quietly, but effectively.

Eric turned to him and offered the whip. "Of course Master, she upset you; therefore you should deliver the punishment. Forgive me."

Normally in control of his facial expressions, Godric again glared angrily at Eric, took the whip and threw it to the ground. "Eric, please heal Theresa from what you did to her face."

Eric stared at his maker while Theresa asked, "heal me?"

Godric's eyes grew wide as he took in their reactions. "Eric, you have never healed her in this past year? Never after a punishment?"

Eric shook his head and replied, "Why would I heal her after a punishment? Isn't the pain the point?"

"Theresa, perhaps you should go rest. I am sure this has been a trying experience for you, and I believe it is close to your bedtime anyway. I will see that Eric heals you tomorrow evening before we leave for the meeting."

Now Eric was confused, so was Theresa to tell the truth, but she did not hesitate to grab her clothes and run to her bedroom.

"Godric, I don't understand."

"You will. Can we go back to your den to talk?"

"Certainly." Eric motioned for Godric to go first; then he followed him out the door. _'Something important must have happened in his area and he decided we could not waste time with Theresa. I will deal with her tomorrow after I help Godric.'_

They resumed their seats in the den and Eric started. "Has something happened in your area requiring our focus?"

"What? … No, no, that's not what happened."

"Then why are you so angry? And what were you starting to say about Theresa?"

Godric put a finger up indicating he needed a moment; then closed his eyes and tried to determine the best approach to this conversation. _'A slave. He took a young woman with a promising career in an admirable profession and created a slave. I am certain she believes she loves him. How we get her out of this mess, I do not know. I must try._' Finally ready to start, he opened his eyes and asked Eric a question. "Eric, are you and Theresa in love?"

"She loves me, she told you herself."

"Did you train her to love you?"

"What does it matter the method? She loves me. She can't live without me now."

"Yes, I am afraid of that."

"Why are you afraid? She is an efficient slave, pleasing to the eyes. She is having some trouble with the books I have selected for her, but she is trying. We often spend time when we are not fucking talking about the latest book she read. If she worked on a new part of the garden, we explore it at night. I am not planning to be rid of her anytime soon."

"And what of 20 years from now? When her looks wane? What happens when she has read the classics and she has no further conversation because you keep her locked here away from the world? Away from new experiences?"

"There are always new writers, some are quite worthy of my time. I allow her to watch movies and the news. She is not away from everything."

"And her looks?"

"I agree; that is a tricky one, and I will deal with that when the time comes. She may need to be put down at some point."

Godric sighed, and in a move uncharacteristic of a vampire, he lowered his head into his hands and rubbed his face, almost as if he had a headache. "Master, what is the problem, you seem so troubled."

Trying another tactic, Godric asked. "Eric, what have you learned from having this relationship with Theresa?"

"I learned that I can enjoy the same human's company for more than one night. You wanted me to learn more about humans, so I've done that. I ordered Theresa to take on some human activities that also please me."

"Ok, that's a start, though I wish you hadn't ordered her to start reading literature or gardening. You like coming home to Theresa every night?"

"Not every night. There are plenty of nights that I find an alternative I cannot resist at the club, so I stay there, or some nights I still come home but I don't want that company, Theresa is told to go to bed, and she leaves me alone. She does not whine or cling like I see some human woman do. It's a pleasing relationship."

"You respect her?"

"No, I could never respect a human. Wait, that's not entirely true, there are some worthy exceptions."

"So with that attitude, how will you find a way to co-exist with them peacefully after the reveal?"

"Godric. You heard me tonight. I agreed to live by and enforce all the rules we are planning to put into place."

"You agreed to follow the rules, but you still don't understand the benefits of the rules, you don't believe in the value of humans."

"Beyond food and a few specific examples, I never will."

"Eric, dawn approaches and I need you to understand what will happen over the next two nights I am here and also when I leave."

"I'm listening."

"We will work with Theresa to undo your damage as much as possible. You will start by healing her tomorrow evening, and explaining what you are doing, you will not just order her to drink your blood. You will dismantle your punishment room. You will back off on your rules." Godric looked at his son while he spoke and took in the look of horror on Eric's face. "I fear we will not be successful, so the back-up plan is that you will tell her to make you happy, you are giving her to me. I will, in turn work to restore the woman you stole, return her to college, encourage her to work and maybe at some point, she can be released to live her life normally."

"GODRIC! What are you saying?"

"You have failed Eric. I still give you the years I promised; you have until September of 2004 before I meet the sun. You will NOT, however, create a slave to do it. If I find you have, I will meet the sun that very day."

"We've had slaves before. What is the problem?"

"We had slaves for SURVIVAL, and we used glamour to reduce the amount of physical punishment to train slaves to be loyal. What you were about to do to her when she'd done NOTHING wrong makes me shudder to think about her year here." When Eric started to speak again, Godric simply said, "Quiet. We will move to your bed chamber to rest. I am so angry with you right now that I do not want to speak to you anymore tonight. You will remain silent until we rise in the evening."

Godric stood and yanked a stunned Eric up from the couch and dragged him to his bed chamber, almost as if he was putting a young child to bed after a scolding. Eric was reeling from Godric's words. He wanted to clarify what this meant_, 'he is still planning to meet the sun? I did what he asked, a human loves me; she and I have a relationship. I need to ask him so much, but not after his last words. I will wait until this evening._'

As he stated, Godric simply got into bed with Eric and they remained quiet. At their age, they could stay up a while past sunrise, but Godric's command of quiet prevented them from using the time to talk. Instead, Godric used the time to blame himself for Theresa's situation_. 'I knew he would do this and yet I did not spend enough time closely monitoring him these past few years. When nothing happened after 5 years, I thought he was ignoring the ultimatum I made and I planned to remind him at this conference. He found her about a year ago when we had some political problems in Texas and I was not staying in close contact. This is all my fault and I have to fix her. Though, I cannot see how we can find the woman Theresa was in just two days. Leaving Eric will actually be painful for her, so I will need to command him to provide comfort and encouragement. He won't like that. Tough shit though.' _He turned to look at Eric while he continued his thoughts._ 'I could barely restrain myself from taking the whip to his backside when I walked into the room. Gods, what she must have endured from him over the past year, and he never healed her. I will make this right somehow.'_ Those words were his repeated thoughts up until he fell into his daydeath.

OOOoooOOOooo

Upon rising, Godric showered and prepared himself for the night while he waited for Eric to rise. Finally, about an hour later, Eric stirred and Godric wasted no time. "Eric, call Theresa down here. I want to start healing her while we wait for the sun to set."

"She has never been down here, I don't want…."

Godric cut him off with a look. "Call her to the door, I will open it for her, it's not in direct sunlight, I will be fine."

Eric phoned Theresa and explained where to find the door to the bedchamber. He was pissed at Godric. He had kept his concealed door panel a secret from Theresa, _'NOBODY but a few chosen vampires know where I rest!' Now a fucking human will know!_' He knew better than to challenge Godric tonight though.

He left the bedroom to shower, not even wanting to see Theresa. Godric held her hand as he walked her into the room. She was obviously puzzled at being in the room, but she saw the bed and figured they were looking for sex so she immediately started to strip. "Theresa, stop." Godric said. "You are not here for that. …. Come, sit with me on the sofa.

"Theresa." She gave no response. "Theresa, look at me." She waited a few minutes then finally looked up. "Theresa, things are going to be different for you from now on."

"I don't understand."

"I know you don't understand. This," he sighed, "this is a difficult situation. You see, Theresa, you had a life before Eric, and that life stopped. You need to get back to that life now."

"Eric doesn't want me anymore?" She questioned and started to tear up.

"My dear, it's not much that he does not want you, he should not have you."

"But he got me for you." She started crying at this point and spoke through sobs. "I he .. heard him on the phone to P…Pam."

Godric handed her a handkerchief and she stopped to blow her nose. "What did you hear Theresa?"

She took a moment to take a few deep breaths; then continued. "It was the night I told him I loved him. He got up and called Pam right away. Saying he'd done it. That I loved him and you would be so proud when you met me."

Standing under the shower spray, Eric listened to Theresa and Godric and grimaced. _'I did what he wanted; she just admitted again that she loves me. Why is he being so stubborn about this? She is pleasant company too. If he wants to undo what I have done with Theresa, that's his own problem. I'm going to get ready and head to the conference.'_

"ERIC!" Godric bellowed as he walked into the bathroom. "Stop hiding in the shower, you must help me with Theresa."

"I'm not hid…." He started to respond but was cut off by glare from his maker. He bowed his head and replied "Yes Godric."

Once Eric was dressed from his shower, he joined Theresa and Godric in the bedroom. Godric ordered, "Eric, explain healing to Theresa."

Eric turned to Theresa and said. "My blood has healing properties. I am going to prick my finger and you will need to suck the blood from the wound. This will heal your face from last night."

"Will I become a vampire?"

"No, you have to be drained and then drink a significant amount of vampire blood to change. This amount will only heal you. I will also be able to sense your feelings after you have ingested the blood."

"So you can really know how much I love you then, if you can feel me, huh?"

"Yes, now be ready, my finger will heal quickly so you can't hesitate."

"I'm ready."

Eric used his fang to cut himself; then placed his finger in Theresa's mouth. Godric watched them closely knowing that with the right person; a vampire sharing blood like this could be a very erotic experience, at least for the vampire. When there was no reaction from either of them, he was both relieved and frustrated: relieved because he did not want to deal with a sudden, uncontrollable desire for Theresa on Eric's part; frustrated because it really proved that Eric had no feelings for the girl at all. He sighed to himself and decided to just move the rest of their work along.

Eric and Godric continued to work with Theresa until they left for the conference, both acknowledging they had not made progress with turning her around. Godric was left believing he would be traveling home with Theresa.

Eric sighed; the conference was more of the same boring talk and discussions. As representatives, they had some influence over the minor details of life preparing for and after the reveal, but the monarchs had already made most of the broad sweeping decisions, so he felt like a simple paper pusher. Still, they concluded all their business as planned over the next two nights, and now, Godric and he were returning to his house to inform Theresa she would be leaving with Godric for Texas. As if the past two nights and near-dawns had not already been filled with enough of Theresa's tears, telling her would surely initiate the worst bout yet.

Theresa greeted them brightly when they entered the den. "Master, Godric, I missed both of you while you were out tonight. What will we be doing now until dawn?"

Godric nodded to Eric and he moved to talk to Theresa, choosing to sit next to her on the couch. Godric had coached him specifically on what to do. Taking her hands, he started to speak "Theresa, look at me." She looked up. "Theresa, Godric and I have spoken about your future. We would very much like you to return to college and finish your nursing studies."

Godric became hopeful when he saw Theresa smile at this news. '_There is something left; the girl in front of us still wants college.'_

"Of course Master, whatever you want."

"Theresa," Eric clarified, "We want you to finish college because we hope it is what YOU still want."

"Only if you want it, Master."

Godric's hope left with her statements and he stepped in to help Eric. "Theresa, eventually, you will realize that you can have your own wants and desires. For now, we will make this decision for you based on what you wanted before Eric took you from that life." He could not resist a nasty look in Eric's direction at that last statement.

"Ok. So I will go back to college. How will I do that if I can't leave this property without Eric?"

"Theresa, you will be going to Texas with Godric. We are providing a guard to attend school with you, not to keep you there, but to keep you safe as you assimilate back into society. You will live in Godric's house, but you have no rules as you did here. The only stipulation is that you will be glamoured to ensure you don't discuss the existence of vampire until our reveal."

"Yo….you're breaking up with me?" She spoke through tears.

"Theresa, I am having Godric care for you because I want you to be more than just my pet."

Godric nodded, pleased at Eric. Then he made a motion with his arms. At his Maker's nudging, he embraced Theresa in a hug while she cried, knowing his silk shirt was going to be ruined. Finally, she calmed down enough to speak again. "O o K. When I finish my degree I can come back?"

Eric sidestepped the question a bit and told her he was sure she would want to focus on her career and that they would cross that bridge when they came to it. She seemed to accept that answer and at Godric's request, she went to start packing for their trip.

Godric changed his plans to fly at nightfall to stay with Theresa in the passenger area of the plane so he went to his daydeath with Eric one last time before he left. In the hour before sunset, Godric sat with Eric to talk. "Min Son, we need to clear the air." Eric nodded. "I have been upset with you this week, but I realize this was my fault as well as yours. I asked you to build a relationship with a human and then left you to your own devices. What you did to Theresa is NOT what I meant when I told you to love. As we are both busy with our areas and preparing them for the great reveal, I know I cannot guide you directly, so I am sending a trusted part Daemon/part human to stay with you. Her name is Cara and she is a trained guard, so if you do find another companion, you have a live-in guard." Eric nodded and smiled at this idea. "While not guarding, she excels in cooking, so she can cook for your partner as well. Finally, to ensure we don't have any situations like Theresa, she is my eyes." With that, Eric's eyes went wide, his jaw clenched and his nostrils flared in anger. Godric pressed on. "Stop it Eric. I know you will do ANYTHING now to prevent me from meeting the sun, and she will be here to guard the safety of your potential mate. Do not pick a fight with me right before I leave. This is my decision and you will abide by it. Do you understand?"

"Yes Godric. We should go and check on Theresa's preparation for departure."

"Yes, and she will be upset to leave you, I expect you to assure her that this is your wish. You must be caring."

He sighed but acknowledged his maker. "I understand. Let's go upstairs."

After collecting Teresa and her bags, Godric hugged Eric as he left and reminded him to please, find love.

As soon as the car pulled out of the driveway, Eric called Pam to his house. She had barely settled into the den when Eric started ranting about Godric and Theresa. Normally composed, Eric's emotional explosion shocked Pam, but she just let him continue. He had held his tongue for days, taking Godric's criticism, panicking about Godric meeting the sun, and following his orders. He needed to unload.

When he finished, Pam turned to him, and challenged him. "So Master, what do we do next?"

"I don't know Pam, I. Just. Don't. Know. I want to forget this for a little bit. Let's go to the club and find some women. I'll think about all this love shit tomorrow."


	4. Close but No Cigar

**HAPPY WHATEVER YOU"RE CELEBRATING THIS WEEKEND.**

**For me, I am waiting for the kids to go to bed so the Easter Bunny can arrive. I may or may not check the items in the basket as pre-Easter morning quality control.**

**For now, let's check-in on our reluctant lover boy. This is the last chapter before we finally get to meet Sookie.**

**Have a question about some of the terms I use? Go back to the Prologue – I have added a reference section and will update it as I read chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, the town of Bon Temps, or even a 10****th**** of the shoes that Pam owns. Don't sue me.**

Chapter 3

January 1994

Dallas, TX

"GLAMOUR!? You used glamour to make her love you?"

"Godric, I nudged her with Glamour. I take care of her, I allow her to choose her own interests. I sought her out because she already had interests that matched my own. I found her in a fucking bookstore! What is your problem?"

"Do you love her?"

"WHAT!?"

"Do YOU love HER?"

"I don't understand."

Godric pinched the bridge of his nose and paused before he answered. "It's simple, Eric. I asked you to be loved and TO LOVE. You conveniently forget that part." He stopped to think for a moment; then requested that Eric call Pam.

"Why do we need Pam? She's feeding right now."

"Fine, give her an hour; then call her. While we wait, tell me more about Kathleen. Why did you pursue her?"

"We met, as I said, in a bookstore, the one in Shreveport that sells collectable classics. She was quite lovely and literate. I don't frequently find that."

"So, you have learned something, you don't change the person, you find a match, that's progress for you. What does she do when she is not with you?"

"As it turns out, she owned the bookstore, and still does. She does not live with me; we either spend time at her home or one of my safe houses. I do NOT feed from her; she is unaware that I am a vampire – which is another reason I've needed to use glamour."

"Are you faithful?"

Eric looked at Godric in shock. "Godric, we are vampires. It's simply not possible for one lover to satisfy us."

"It is."

Eric's jaw dropped and he asked, "What are you saying?"

Godric paused. "Sit Eric. Let me tell you about my Maria."

Once seated, Eric asked. "Who is Maria?"

"Maria was the love of my life."

"Was?"

"I suppose she still is the love of my life, though she passed many years ago. We met in Italy, just after you created Pam. I was so happy for you and at the same time a little sad that you had a special someone to share your nights. I was living in the countryside, a little cottage on the outskirts of a small town and shamelessly glamouring to feed from the same townsfolk regularly. I enjoyed the peace and quiet too much to move on. I stayed there with a Were named Holger who served as my day man and guard for the property." He paused and smiled at his next thought. "She came to my cottage one day at dusk selling honey, saying the local bees had been especially productive. I was smitten as soon as I saw her. She had lovely, dark curly hair like mine and a tiny waist with lovely round hips and bust. I invited her in to chat and she gazed down and blushed stating it would be improper for her to enter my home without a guardian. The innocence was intoxicating. Not just that she was a virgin, in that era there were plenty. It was her whole demeanor of purity. She blushed, avoided eye contact, her smiles were shy and I drank it all in. I bought all her honey and offered to walk her home since she would not enter my cottage. While walking, I discovered her father and brothers had passed away and left her, her mother and a younger sister. My protective instincts were on high alert upon hearing their plight. They owned their home but had real means of income. I adopted the family on the spot and asked permission to court Maria. Her mother fought me on the help AND the courtship but I was persistent." He stopped to laugh at the memory. "I hunted for them and left them animals on their doorstep. I left piles of wood in their woodbin, my Were bartered for other necessities on their behalf and they were also left as gifts. Maria's mother, Antoinette, would frown but give in. They would have starved otherwise. She finally permitted the courting and we were married about 4 months after we met."

Eric stopped him. "Married? How did you accomplish that without telling her you were a vampire?"

"I did not keep the secret."

"THE RISK! Godric, how could you?"

"We were in love and I chose to take the risk to tell her. I could always glamour her if needed, but she accepted me as I was. She was worth it Eric. A few years later, her mother passed away and her sister, Angelica, came to live with us. She was only 7 years old at that time."

"AND YOU TOLD HER TOO?"

"Why are you yelling about something that happened hundreds of year ago? To answer your question, no, I did not tell Angelica the secret. Instead, we created an illusion if you will. I had a separate building added to the property and we told her I was a writer. I did write for myself in those years, so she could see the 'evidence', and she was told not to disturb my writing. Angelica became like a daughter to me. When she came of age, Maria and I decided to share the secret; mostly because it killed me to continue the lie, but also because Holger had asked for her hand in marriage. She needed to know about 'others' if they had a child. She took the information well, and I granted my blessing on the marriage and even walked the bride down the aisle at an evening wedding. We built them a separate house on the property and soon they were expecting their first child. We were so happy, waiting for the baby until a rogue vampire came through the area with his children. Appius Livius Ocella found us." Eric cringed at the name. Appius had a reputation among vampire, considered the most evil among his own kind.

Godric had paused at this point and his eyes rimmed in red. Eric put a hand on his maker's hand. "You don't need to continue. I think I can figure out what happened."

"No, for them, to honor them, I will tell the story." He took an unnecessary breath. "I heard screams from the town so I secured Angelica and Maria in my bedchamber and Holger shifted to guard them. I flew to the town to confront the cause of the screams. I was shocked to find Appius and two of his children had herded all the town's residents into the church and he was 'feeding' them to his children one at a time. Half had been locked into the church basement, I guess for another night. I tried diplomacy but he would not stop his rampage. I knew I could not defeat Appius with the two children present. He and I are about the same age, so we would be evenly matched, but with the other two – I would have lost." He shook his head is resignation of that fact. "I decided to return home and have Holger go to the church in the morning and free the other residents. Appius had other plans, however, and when I turned to leave the church, I found a third child of Appius' holding both Angelica and Maria by their necks. I froze. I had failed them." His voice hitched, "and now I knew they would die."

Godric stopped to compose himself, red tears flowing freely from his face. Eric wrapped his arm around him for support as he continued his voice breaking. "I turned to Appius to announce my claim on my family and he only laughed. He told me he had been watching the town and me for a few days. He scoffed at my 'relationship' with humans. His next words, his next words would have stopped my heart if it beat. Eric, he told me he knew Angelica was with child and that he intended to drain her personally. With that declaration, I went wild and attacked his child, but I was only partly successful. I managed to free Angelica and told her to run before a gloved Appius threw a silver net over me. My only relief was seeing a wounded, but still functioning Holger running towards the town. When he reached Angelica, she jumped on his back. My relief was only temporary I realized as I was forced to my knees to watch as Appius drained my Maria. She was screaming and begging for help from me and mercy from the savage at her neck. But I was helpless. I still remember the moment the light went out from her eyes. Eric, to witness her death…"He paused, recalling Maria's face. "To witness that light going out will forever haunt me. I've never felt such pain."

Godric stopped for a moment, and Eric asked, "What happened to Angelica and Holger?"

"They got away, I went back to our property to see they had made it back there, taken what they could and fled with the horses and carriage. I never saw my adopted daughter again; I never met the child that would have been my grandbaby." Godric paused again to take in another unneeded breath.

"Appius kept me in silver while he and his children fed on the rest of the town. Not a single soul remained when they left. I burned everything and everyone, except Maria, to cover up his atrocities. For Maria, I carried her body back to our property and buried her alone. I couldn't bear to see her burn. As it was, I could not mark the grave for fear that someone would investigate and see the draining. After she was laid to rest, I walked away and never returned to Italy." Eric watched as his smile changed from bitter to something he would call sweet. "I speak to Maria frequently, praying to her for guidance, for help with you."

"Help with me?"

"Yes, you. I want you to have that same love; that connection. Maria made me see the man in me, she made me want to live again, not just exist."

"Man? You are not a man; you are a vampire, Godric."

"Of course I am a man, as are you. Eric, Vampire is just another label about a person – American, Italian, Daemon, Were - a man can be and man AND one of those labels."

Eric shook his head at his maker's philosopher. "Why would you want me to feel the pain that you felt when she left you?"

"The pain was horrible and tragic, but not all loves need to end in that pain. Even with her death, the joy from sharing those years was not erased. If I reflect on my memories I realize that just like anything in life, you take the good with the bad. In this case, I took the happiness and the sorrow. Of course, I wish she was still with me, I regret that I had not changed her earlier. She was waiting for Angelica to get older, to not need help with babies, so I gave her time. As you can imagine, I do regret some of the decisions I made when I was with her, but I never regret the love, Eric, never the love."

Eric sat quietly, his arm still around his maker gently rubbing his back to offer comfort from the pain Godric felt while sharing the story. Godric gave him the quiet time as he watched his son process his words. _'Godric had a wife, a child, a grandbaby? AND, he never shared this with me. All those years, all that pain. We should have gone after Appius years ago to avenge her. Wait, I would kill a vampire for a human? No, no, I would kill a vampire for the pain he caused Godric, yes, that's what I meant. Still, after all the pain, pain that I can feel through the bond after hundreds of years, he wants me to open up to a human? We should still kill Appius. Yes, this will give us a common purpose_.' His decision made on their next move, he finally spoke. "We will make plans to kill Appius and his children right away. I will apply for a leave…."

"Eric, no. I want my revenge someday, but not today. Finding and planning for the death of Appius will take time, and I have already set a goal for you: Love, not revenge, remember?"

"Godric, you have got to be kidding me? That you have already let this go for so many years is appalling. You just needed a worthy partner. We can take him down quickly."

"We are getting off track now. I started the whole story to show you the possibility of love and faithfulness. So, do you have a spark with Kathleen, can you be faithful? Will you share YOUR secret?"

Eric was quiet for a moment, shocked by his maker's dismissal of the need for revenge. Finally, he answered. "I find her company enjoyable, but we do not see each other every day. I grow tired of her if we have seen each other too many times in one week."

"Then, she is not the one."

"Godric, my Gods – you said I made progress, I have not harmed this woman, she is the only one with whom I have a 'relationship' the others are just quick fucks."

"And I am thrilled for your progress; it is just not what I requested. You simply need to get out and meet more women." Eric was about to interject and Godric cut him off, "I don't mean women from your club." Eric shut his mouth and Godric chuckled. "Go places where you want to be, find someone there, talk to them."

"Godric, this is almost impossible without the reveal. I already struggle to make excuses for Kathleen about my nature. She wants to have lunch together; she wants to go to the park…."

"Call Pam, we can strategize." Eric looked at his maker in horror. Sure Pam knew of Godric's request and she knew a bit of the difficulty he had with his most recent encounters with Godric, but he did not want his child to witness the way Godric treated him as a child over these discussions.

"Godric, I don't think we should bring Pam into…"

"Call Pam. I will not belittle you in front of her, I know of your Viking pride. You will need her assistance. We should also call Cara to participate." Eric just stared at him. "Cara, Eric, oh wait, you nick-named her Potts. She told me what you call her that, but not why. Where did that name some from?"

"You never lived with her before?" Godric shook his head. "If you did, you would know. When she cooks, I swear she uses every pot she bought for the house, the kitchen looks like a storm rolled through and pots are piled on the stove and in the sink, hence the name."

"So you enjoy Cara?"

"Don't go there, I have never considered…."

"That's not what I meant. I simply meant you find her friendly?"

"She is friendly, but mostly I appreciate that she stays out of my way, which is why I am unsure about having her here for this discussion."

A short while later, Godric heard Pam arrive and he asked Eric go get Cara on the speakerphone.

"ERIC, I had a plump Dallas beauty between my legs when you called me. I hope this is important."

"PAMELA, show some respect! This is your Grandsire's home!"

"Yes, Master." She bowed to both men. "What can I help with this evening?"

Godric replied. "We are getting Cara on speakerphone; then I will explain."

"Potts? What do we need her for?"

"Patience please."

Cara's phone rang and she answered it "Evening Northman."

"Potts, you are on speakerphone, Godric and Pam are here."

"Hello my friend, how are you?"

"GODRIC! It has been too long. I am doing well. Is there a problem in Dallas?"

"No, we are gathered to strategize about Eric's love life."

With that Pam started on a laughing fit that caused her to cry bloody tears. Eric badly wanted to reprimand her for disrespecting him, but Godric prevented it with a look. After a two hour conference call, they had several plans, and Eric was thinking about meeting the sun himself.

OOOoooOOOooo

Winter, 2000

Shreveport, LA

"Did you finish that questionnaire yet?"

"No Pam. Leave me be."

"Well, I made your 'relationship counselor' appointment for tomorrow night at 9PM. You need to be finished before then."

"Why are you rushing this, we only decided to use this service last week?"

"Why am I rushing this? Using a service was part of the plan we made with Godric and Potts FIVE YEARS AGO. You are the one that insisted you could woo someone from a library or bookstore."

"I can't help it if Kathleen was the only attractive book reader I ever found."

"I realize that, but you didn't try any of the other options we discussed for meeting women either."

"Stop talking Pamela; leave my office so I can work on this."

As she walked through the door, she reminded Eric, "Don't forget, the more honest you are, the better the match, I mean 'connection'." A stapler was hurled at her, but the door had closed before it hit her head. Eric heard her cackling from the other side.

'_This is fucking ridicules. I am a 1000 year undead vampire filling out a questionnaire for Louisiana Love Connection. But for Godric, I will try. Ok, now where was I? Oh yes, Personal Characteristics.'_

Q.: I find that going to church is a good way to meet people who benefit my social and/or professional life

A: _I find that going to church would cause terminal sunburn since services are held during daylight._

Disagree

Q.: I can be offended by satire and sarcasm

A: _I would not have made Pam if that was true_.

Agree

Q.: My friends come to me when they are in difficult times because they know I can handle emotional crises

A.: _Am I required to have friends to join this dating service?_

Disagree

Q.: I work much better if people follow my lead

A.: _I find less people die that way as well._

Agree

Q.: I prefer not to be around people who have emotional swings

A.: _I prefer to be around people who don't have emotions._

Agree

Q.: I have a high desire for sexual activity

A.: _Probably more than any of your other applicants, ever_.

Agree

Q.: I dislike some people.

A.:_ I dislike all people. _

Agree

Q.: I sometimes drive faster than the posted speed-limit.

A.: _There are speed limits?_

Agree

'_Gods, how many more questions? Oh good, 8 done in this section, only 64 more to go_.'

About three hours later, a very frustrated Eric left his office to check on the club floor. Pam approached him immediately. "Well, the emotions coming from you were across the map while you were working on your little questionnaire. I cannot wait to experience the actual meeting with your 'relationship counselor' tomorrow night." Pam continued to laugh at her maker's expense.

He was not pleased. "Pamela, your shoes are dangerously close to losing their lives. I would suggest you stop your comments. NOW." He ended with a glare that did stop Pam's laughing.

"Yes Master, I will check on the waitresses."

"Good idea."

OOOoooOOOooo

About six months later, Eric's 'relationship counselor' had returned for a final meeting with Eric at the club. "I am sorry to agree with you Sir, none of the first dates led to any connections for you. While we had a number of women interested in you based on your physical appearance, no matches worked based on the personality profile. I am pretty sure that your nocturnal lifestyle was a significant part. As we discussed, I am refunding your initial match payment, and we will part ways. Thank you for trying Louisiana Love Connection."

"Yes, thank you Sharon. I am sure you are looking for Pam now as you have done on my prior visits?"

"Well, umm, yes, if you wouldn't mind sending me in her direction."

"Certainly, she is in her office down the hall. At least one of us found a connection through your company. Now if you will excuse me, I have some club business. I thank you for your efforts."

"ERIC!" Pam bellowed as she waltzed into his office a short while later. "Something new just started."

"Don't you ever knock?"

"I knew you were alone."

"Yes, well thank you for reminding me of my failure to 'connect'."

"I have a new plan. We are expanding the pool of women." Eric rolled his eyes, but she continued, ignoring him. "eHarmony."

"Pardon?"

"eHarmony." She said it again like it was the discovery of the wheel. "It's a new online dating site. We can expand beyond Northern Louisiana. Sharon mentioned that she is taking a job with them while we were just 'connecting'."

"How the fuck does that help? You want me to commute to, I don't know, Arkansas to date?"

"If you find a match, you can have someone moved here."

"Outside Godric's rules, Pam. You know that."

"Well, I was just trying. At least I am trying. Are you?"

"You know what Pam?"

"No Eric, tell me."

"I'm not. Trying that is. I'm done. If I am to fall in love," He said with a sneer, "Then it will just happen." He nodded to the door. "Go find me a curvy blond, fresh, someone I haven't tasted yet."

"Yes Master."

After delivering a fresh curvy blond to Eric, Pam walked to the end of the parking lot and made the call to Potts as they previously discussed. "He's giving up."

"Understood. I'll call Godric."

"Will you be leaving us then?"

Potts laughed. "No Pam, I assure you, he figured Eric would give up. I am to remain in place."

"So someone is coming?" Potts said nothing. "How can you know?"

"I'm just respecting Godric's wishes. I must call him now."

In Dallas, Godric was stunned by a surprise visit from his maker. "Master" he said as he knelt. "You honor me with your presence." Godric gazed up at his Master, the oldest known vampire on the planet, blind from birth, yet a seer of all, past, present and future: The Ancient Pythoness.

As he rose, his phone rang. "Forgive me Master. Let me shut this off."

"You should answer it. It brings an update to the goal you set for your child."

Godric answered and held a quick conversation with Cara. "Indeed, Master, he has given up. But we knew this would happen."

"Of course."

"Oh, and calling it MY GOAL, when you started the whole thing."

"I told you he needed to learn to respect all species and that love would be a good idea. I never told you to make the ultimatum you did."

"Will he succeed?"

She remained quiet for a moment and Godric resorted to pleading, "Please Pythia. Can you tell me some of what you know?"

"I know you have already taught him much, even though you view his attempts as failures. He learned to find something worthy in humans."

"While that may be true, Pythia, he still has not learned to respect anything other than vampires and a handful of humans. Will he find love?"

Though blind, The Ancient Pythoness clearly saw the pain in Godric as he asked about Eric. She knew he wanted his child to find love as he found with his Maria. The Ancient Pythoness had cursed herself many times for not stopping Maria's death, her visions were not perfect, she only saw snippets and Appius was not one she had seen. Swayed by her guilt, she decided to share some of her visions. "There is a path where he succeeds, yes. I have seen the girl already. He will need to work hard for her."

Hearing that the path could be difficult had Godric curious about his maker's desires. "I have always followed your direction Pythia. I have never questioned you." She turned to glare at him with her milky white eyes. "I am not questioning you now, rather, trying to understand. Pythia, why do YOU wish for Eric to learn such respect?"

"He is your child, is that not enough reason?"

"Yes, Master." He stopped himself short.

"Go on, I know you had more to say…."

"But, you have not interfered with Eric before. You won't even let me tell him that you are my maker."

"He will know when the time is right."

"And your reasons?"

"YOU will know when the time is right."

"I do so love your answers Pythia."

"Just keep guiding him as you can, the rest will fall into place. Don't waiver on your ultimatum though. I suggested this for him and therefore for you. The day you gave him that goal, many of his less desirable yet still possible paths fell away."

"I thank you for your wisdom and your help. If something ever happened to Eric, I wouldn't be able to go on."

"I wish I could have done something before, for you and Maria." He nodded in understanding. "I will take my leave now."

You can rest with me if you wish."

"No Godric, I slipped into Dallas quietly, and now I must leave before anyone questions my presence."

He smiled at his maker. "I enjoy your visits, but you can also telephone me."

"I am not ready for something so fancy."

He chuckled and asked. "When do you think you will be ready for fancy?"

"There are a few paths that predict that future, I am inclined to choose the one that says never."

NOTE: The Connection questionnaire was excerpted from text that is copyrighted by Inc., Pasadena, CA. I do not claim ownership of any rights to it.


	5. My Brother's Keeper

**Hi everyone. Ready to meet Sookie? It's a little shorter than usual, but it was the right place for the break.**

**Thanks to the readers who hit the follow and favorite button. There's another thing at the bottom of the chapter I like - its space to type your REVIEW – so give that one a try.**

**I don't own these characters. Credit goes to C. Harris and A. Ball. I do own two characters that are destroying their bedroom right now but I'm too busy posting to worry about it.**

**Enjoy!**

**~mags**

Chapter 4

September 20, 2003

Bon Temps, LA

Sookie Stackhouse threw her car into park and ran into the Bon Temps, LA farmhouse she shared with her Gran. She had just returned from Jason's house, trying to get any clues on his whereabouts.

"GRAN!"

"Out back Sookie." Sookie approached her Gran as she was weeding in her garden. "Did you find anything Sookie?"

"Gran, I found Amy's purse, and some really weird stains on the floor in the basement. …. nothing that really helps. I'm gonna call Tara and see if she found anything at Lafayette's."

"Damn your brother trying to make me sick with worry. If he just shows up having spent some days away with a woman he's gonna get a whoopin." She spent a moment in thought and Sookie waited. "Jason and Lafayette went missing at the same time, right?"

"Yes Gran, both of them gone for 5 days now."

"Damn our Police Force. Personal friends with the Sheriff and he refuses to help. I know Jason can be flaky, but he never misses work. Something's really wrong."

"I never liked Jason's new girl, Amy; she had something to do with this." Sookie turned her head, "Gran, it's the phone ringing, maybe it's news."

"Hello, Stackhouse residence."

"He's back Sookie."

"Lafayette?"

"Aha."

"Jason?"

"No, sorry, and Lafayette says he has no idea where Jason is. Believe me, I grilled him about Jason. Lafayette told me he just got caught up in some drug party and lost track of time."

"Damn, I figured their disappearances were related." She stopped to think for a moment. "Can I come over, talk to him?"

"He's going to Merlotte's to work, says he needs the shift and Sam already said yes."

"Well, I guess I'll see him at work then."

Sookie filled in her Gran then went to go dress in her waitress uniform. "Gran, I'm working the close, so I'll be late tonight."

"Ok honey, I've been so worried about Jason I'm tired. I'll likely be asleep when you come home."

Sookie left the farmhouse and made the short drive to Merlotte's Bar and Grill, pretty much the only restaurant and bar in the small town of Bon Temps. She parked in the back and walked into the owner's office. "Hey Sam! I hear Lala's back."

"He is. I'm kinda pissed that I was so worried and he was off partying, but glad he's back all the same. He's coming in for a shift, should be here soon."

"Great. Can't wait to see him and give him what for." She adjusted her pony tail in the mirror then turned back to Sam. "Well, I'm getting on the floor so Arlene can head home. See ya out there."

"You bet."

Sam watched as Sookie walked through his office and out the door. He groaned at the site of her perfect ass going through the office door. '_God she is beautiful. I have to work up the courage to ask her out and soon_.'

Merlotte's was quiet, the lunch crowd had left and the girls on the floor were just straightening up, filling salt shakers, and gossiping. Sookie heard her flamboyant friend's voice coming from the kitchen and she ran to greet him. "LALA! You bad boy! You had all of us worried."

"I knows Hookeh, I knows. Cummere and gives Lala some love."

Sookie ran into the kitchen to hug Lala. "At least we have one of you back."

"Yeah, Tara tol' me about Jason. Wes weren't together, I swear."

"Lala, do you think it's possible you just don't remember Jason being with you, if you were so high I mean."

"Daaum. That could be. Can you find missing memories? May you should check."

She narrowed her eyes at her friend. "What do you mean, check?"

"Shoot, wes all knows you can read minds. My cousin Tara confirmed it for me years ago when Is asked."

"Tara confirmed it?"

"Yep – so are we gonna talk bouts it, or is yous gonna check?"

"_Wow, he's asking me to read his mind and most folks won't admit to knowing I have the ability_." "Lala, to confirm you are really asking me to read your mind? You want me to see if I find memories of this party and Jason?"

Lala nodded his head.

"Ok, I've never looked for missing memories before so to help I'm going to touch your arm"

Sookie and Lala sat and she placed her hand on his bare arm; then started probing. She saw what she expected to see: Lala wondering about what she was seeing, Lala wondering how he could have left Terry, the backup cook, in his kitchen at Merlotte's for 5 days – the place was a mess. She was surprised to see black spots. '_I've never seen that before. What are they_?' She probed further into the black spots and was terrified by what she saw. Jason and Lafayette both were being bitten by a tall blond vampire. The same vampire staring into Lala's eyes, questioning him about someone named Eddie; then she heard his answer – something about an arrangement and trading sex for vampire blood. Jason on his knees in front of the vampire saying 'Yes Eric'? Was that his name? – Then Jason being hit and told to call him Master. What the fuck!

"Lala. I found stuff with Jason. It's hard to see it. Can I ask you questions and maybe it will help me focus?"

"Sure, yous look tired, you OK?"

"Yeah – I want to do this, I see him, Jason I mean. You don't remember?" Lala shook his head. "Lala, before I go back in, do you remember being bitten by a vampire?"

"Um, well, I know a vampire named Eddie, he's bitten me."

"Tall, blond?"

"No, average height, balding, glasses."

"Ok, let's try it again." She placed her hand back on his arm then asked questions. "Lala, do you know who Eric is?" She explored the blanks further as she asked the question, and the tall blond appeared, fangs exposed and blood dripping from his chin. '_OK, so Eric is a vampire, no doubt_.'

"What was the arrangement you had with Eddie?" She saw Eddie agreeing to have blood drawn in exchange for sex with Lala, '_ewww, I don't need to see that_'.

Quickly she asked to change the subject. "Do you know more about Eric?" This time the image changed to a slender blond woman talking to Eric about Fangtasia. Then she started hearing screams, but they weren't from the memory. She was startled by a hand grabbing her arm to remove her from the grasp she had on Lafayette. She looked up. "Sam, what's going on?"

"You tell me Cher. I come to the kitchen to see you holding Lala with a death grip, and him screaming."

"LALA! Are you OK?"

"I am, but shit, I remember some stuff, and I weren't high."

"No you weren't. We should explore more."

"NO. I mean, I wanna help Jase and all, but that shit hurts, plus, Is don't like the memories you found."

"No, I don't either."

Sam had waited long enough. "Would one of you tell me what's going on?"

Sookie was relieved she didn't need to explain her telepathy – she and Sam had already discussed that secret before. She just answered him with the facts. "I don't know. We thought he remembered something about Jason and just forgot 'cause he was high. With Lala's permission, I used my telepathy to search for the memories and instead found weird black spots and probed. He was with Jason, but not at a party. There was a vampire, big blond one, and a mention of Fangtasia, you know that vampire bar in Shreveport?"

'_SHIT, vampires, and the local vampire Sheriff to boot. Now she's going to want to play hero and find Jason. If Eric released Lafayette already, Jason is likely dead. I have to'_…. Sookie's next sentence stopped Sam's thoughts.

"I'm going there tomorrow after I'm done my dinner shift. He's the only lead I have on Jason."

"No Cher, you're not going there. It's too dangerous. Think logically, if they released Lala, Jason is probably already dead."

"NOOOOOOO!"

He wrapped her in a hug. "I'm not happy to tell you that, but think about it. You want to go to a vampire bar asking about a prisoner, you're going to get killed. I'm not losing two Stackhouses to bloodsuckers."

Hugging Sam made his thoughts clear to Sookie. '_This is strange, usually I only see red swirly with Sam, but I can hear him clearly now. Of course, he is desperately thinking that he needs to keep me safe and away from vampires. I'll appease him for now, and go to Fangtasia tomorrow anyway._'

OOOoooOOOooo

The next night, Sookie drove out to Fangtasia to gather information. She decided to park close to the building, along the side and almost to the back and just listen. She wasn't stupid enough to walk in and demand her brother. Facts, that's what she needed.

She stretched her mind as far as she could. '_Ewww, sex, biting, sex, drinking, sex, nudity…lovely. Glad I'm not in the bar. Wait, what's this?_' She focused in on one mind that was watching the blond vampire. _'A throne? He is walking onto a throne? What a pompous ass. Look at him drinking in all the attention. And actually, WHAT A GORGEOUS ASS. STOP Sookie, you're on a mission._' Sookie stayed there switching the human minds to change her focus for about two hours. She kept checking in on Eric and noticed him on a phone most of the time, looking bored. '_Oh, he's leaving with that blond woman from Lala's head, and some other guy. Shoot, now I need to try to find one of them to hear what's going on. Wait, what are these voids? Why are the three of them? Finally, I can see both the vampires, I guess I found the guy. Wonder why I can't get into the vampire heads? Oh, this is boring, some business deal_.' She continued to listen in to the meeting, and found that the vampire was just like she figured any other man was in business. They were talking about a holding company he owned, Norse Enterprises.

The meeting broke up and the female escorted the gentleman out, she guessed the female was a vampire given her complexion. Sookie sensed some excitement back in the main floor of the club and found the mind of a woman who was now walking back to the office with the female vampire. She was thinking about being chosen, hoping that he would like my taste ….. when she wondered if he is into anything kinky Sookie put up her shields and left the parking lot in a hurry. '_I don't need to see that_.'

Once home, she pulled out paper to make a plan.

_*Jason was not at Fangtasia, or if he was, he wasn't conscious. I'll drive there during the day and listen again to be sure._

_*Eric owns Norse Enterprises so I'll get the address and go fill out a job application and listen for Jason._

_*Eric has bitten Jason and it looked like they were in a cell, so he is either holding him, or at least he knows where he is. I have to follow him, but carefully. I'll see about trading around cars and such and be very cautious._

With her plan in place, she felt more hopeful than she had since Jason first disappeared. She spoke to her cat, he only bed companion, ever. "I'm going to find him Tina. I'll bring him home."

The next day, Sookie turned out of the Bon Temps library parking lot with the address for Norse Enterprises in hand. She worked on a fake personality for the application and reviewed the details as she drove. About 45 minutes later, she was in the parking lot, pretending to search for something in her purse but listening to the minds in the building. '_Too many, there are just too many in this area, but I don't hear Jason.'_

In the building she spent time doing her application so she could listen again from the lobby and the restroom she asked to use. '_No Jason_.' What she did hear was thoughts from the other business people in the lobby waiting for meetings. She was surprised to hear that while many had been afraid to work for or with a vampire initially, Eric Northman (as she learned was his last name) was a fair man who excelled in many areas of business. '_I'll just tuck that tidbit away for later_.'

Application complete, she left the building to head to Fangtasia. The parking lot had other businesses that were open during the day so she was able to spend time checking out Fangtasia without suspicion. As she figured, she did not hear Jason's thoughts in the area. '_Hmm, it's dusk now. Perhaps I should wait to see what kind of cars go to the back of Fangtasia where the employees park_.' Her patience paid off. About an hour after full dark, a red Corvette pulled around to the back of Fangtasia. The driver was Eric Northman. His size and the length of his hair made him all too easy to identify, even from her parking spot further down the strip from Fangtasia. Pleased with her progress, she pulled out of the strip mall parking lot and headed home.

To her surprise, Sookie found Dawn Green, Jason's on again/off again girlfriend waiting for her on the porch, crying. "Sookie." She sobbed. "Tell me you know something, anything about Jason."

'_Hmm, too soon to share anything, can't imagine what all the crying is about though._' She hugged Dawn and replied, "Dawn, no, I'm sorry but Gran and I have no idea. The police won't help saying his truck is gone and he left a note. As a grown man, they say he is allowed to go off on his own."

"Soo…Sookie, I just don't know what to do."

"Dawn, I miss him too, but weren't y'all broken up when he left?"

"Yes, but something happened, I mean, I'm. What I'm saying is." She paused to gulp in some air. "Sookie, I'm pregnant. Jason's the Daddy."

"Shit."

"You said it."

Sookie considered sharing her leads with Dawn, but how could she expose Dawn to any danger, especially being pregnant? '_Course, having an extra set of eyes and another car to use for the tails would help._' Having decided to share, Sookie turned to Dawn and spoke. "Dawn. I think I have a lead."

"WHAT!?"

"It's a stretch and how I got the information is kinda hard to explain, so just hear me out, OK."

"OK."

"Dawn, you know how I can read minds?"

"Yeah, the townsfolk have been saying that for years, it's really true then?"

"Well, you're thinking I'm not sure I should believe crazy Sookie, not sure why I came here for help."

"Geez."

"Now you're wondering if we should play the lottery based on my abilities. NO Dawn, I'm not a psychic; I can only read what you are currently thinking."

"OK OK, I believe you. So how did you use this to find Jason?"

Sookie explained what she found with Lala, casing Fangtasia and Norse Enterprises, and discovering the car that Eric Northman drives. "Wow, you discovered all this in the past two days?"

"Yep. Next I want to start following that vampire and find where he lives or goes when he's not at Fangtasia. Maybe I can find Jason then."

"OK, but you can't get caught."

"I know, so I need your help."

"ME?"

"This is what we're going to do." Sookie shared her plan with Dawn knowing that having another person to share reconnaissance would get them to Jason faster. The plan was to follow Eric only for a few turns per night, then using a different car; they would pick up the Vette from the last turn on the prior night. Wigs and glasses would be used as disguises to ensure their safety. With any luck, Eric would only live a short distance from Fangtasia and he would only ever go to one place from the bar. If he didn't they were prepared to do this as many nights as was needed. "You want to do the first run together tonight?"

"Sounds good."

"Gran's out at a Descendents of the Glorious Dead meeting tonight. How 'bout you stay and have dinner with me? I don't have anything fancy, maybe just grilled cheese?"

"Sounds good." She paused, "Sookie, just what is the Descendents of the Glorious Dead? I didn't grow up around here so I always wondered but never asked."

Sookie laughed and looped her arm through Dawn's. "Essentially, it's a group of folks that study, discuss and relive the Civil War. Come on, I'll tell you more while we cook."

About 1AM, they got in the car and headed to Shreveport. Sookie remembered the direction from which Eric's Vette arrived so they started up the street in that direction. "How long do you think we need to wait?"

"I don't know. The bar closes at 2AM, and maybe they have a closing procedure? So maybe 3AM at the latest, I hope."

"OK, so about an hour. Do you mind if I close my eyes. I should have napped before; the baby is making me so tired, but you had to go and watch the first two Lord of the Rings movies. You kept me up."

"Sorry, but I am so excited about the final installment; I wanted to be all caught up and Gran isn't really good company for fantasy movies."

"Yeah, well you usually have your head in a book; I was shocked when you pulled up OnDemand to rent them."

"Well, I did read the books, and wanted to see that world come to life so to speak. Plus, I make an exception for Orlando Bloom."

"Doesn't everybody?" They both laughed and almost missed the Vette speeding by. "Wow, earlier than we thought. Let's go."

They stayed a few cars behind and followed him for only three turns; then turned off after noting the intersection. "Ok, that's one night under our belt. Let's get some sleep."

After repeating the process with success for ten days, they hit a snag: Eric had gone to a home in a gated community. "Well, shit." Dawn exclaimed.

"Indeed, but we can't lose hope. Maybe we can figure out a way to check out the Community during the day. Flower delivery or something?"

"OK, we stay the course and keep following him until we figure that part out."

"You're right. We're both working the closing shifts at Merlotte's this weekend, what about Monday?"

Dawn pulled out her pocket calendar, and said, I'm closing, you?"

"I'm off. I'll try to pick him up from where we met him tonight and hope he doesn't come back here."

"Sounds like a plan."

OOOoooOOOooo

"Dawn."

"Who…who's this?"

"Ahh, I'm sorry I woke you, but it's Sookie and I'm calling you for a good reason."

"Sookie, what time is it?"

"It's 3:30 AM. I found him Dawn! I found where Jason's being held."

"Oh my God! Really?"

"Yes, I could hear his thoughts. He's in a warehouse. I don't have to work 'til the closing shift tomorrow, so I will try to see what I can find out while it's daylight. When are you off next during the day?"

"Wednesday."

"Ok, we'll plan tomorrow and go get him on Wednesday before sunset."

"We're really gonna do this, aren't we?"

"You bet, he's my brother and I'm getting him back if it's the last thing that I do."

On her reconnaissance the next day, Sookie drove around the warehouse and eventually parked in a far away lot. There was no traffic or other cars in the area and she could see some people moving around; she just didn't want to risk being seen. Earlier that day, she stopped at Jason's and got his binoculars out so she could try to find out as much as she could. _'Two guys walking around outside. Could there actually be guards? Ok, we'll need to deal with that. We have to be able to knock them out. What can we use? I don't want to hit anyone with a bat and hurt them permanently….I know, Mr. Yuka at the school and his dumb bug lab. He uses Chloroform to anesthetize the bugs for mounting. I'll have to run over there before school is out today_.' She observed some more. _'Oh – this is good, one is leaving to walk around the property and I guess those woods. If that is a pattern, we'll only have one to deal with. I'll need Jason's lock pick kit and I'll need to practice tonight. I'll give Sheriff Bud one last chance to help me before I go to Merlotte's tonight, but otherwise, Jason, I'll be back for you tomorrow.'_

OOOoooOOOooo

"Bud, I told you, I know where he is, please help me."

"Sookie, I can't get a warrant to check out a warehouse based on your comments that you heard your brother's mind." He shook his head to emphasize his comment. "Sookie, look, lots of folks kinda think you got something goin' on in your head, but I cain't make a legal plea based on the rumors about your mind readin'."

"Bud, this is my brother we are talking about. My BROTHER! Please help me."

"Sookie, I can't help you."

She stormed out of the Sheriff's station and drove off to work hoping Sam would help.

She barreled into the back entrance of Merlotte's calling for Sam. Dawn ran into greet her. "Sookie, what's wrong?"

"Damn Bud won't help us. Where's Sam, we need him."

"He's off, out of town for the night."

"DAMMIT! That means it's just going to be us."

"Ok, but we planned for that, are you chickening out?"

"What? No. I got the Chloroform from Mr. Yuka, and pepper spray. Did you buy handcuffs?"

"Buy? Oh, um, yeah, I have them."

"DAWN!? You HAD handcuffs?"

"Maybe, and rope."

Sookie chuckled at her co-conspirator. "Well, enough about that. I have to get to my tables. I will see you tomorrow 10AM?"

"Yep, I'll be ready to go."

"And we'll get Jason back."


	6. A Life for a Life

**This takes us to the point of the prologue. Hope you enjoy Superhero Sookie!**

**I'm giving you this one early so I can MAYBE get another one up before I leave for a business trip on Saturday. While I'm gone, it's good possibility that I won't post until after I return a week from tomorrow. I'll try – but don't be mad if I go off the radar for this trip.**

**AND reviews – Please! I need them badly... You know, like you guys like chapters. **

**~mags**

Chapter 5

October 15, 2003:

Outside Shreveport, LA

"Dawn, cut the radio, we're getting close."

"OK Sookie. Where are we parking?"

"Just in those trees, we'll have to walk to the warehouse the rest of the way. You'll need to be quiet, remember I told you there are at least two guards outside."

"I remember."

Sookie parked the car and handed the keys to Dawn. "You'll need them for the getaway," she reminded her.

The two made their way through the wooded area until they were across from the warehouse entrance. Sookie put her finger to her lips to tell Dawn to be quiet; then she closed her eyes. After she opened them again, Dawn asked. "Can you hear him Sookie?" Sookie almost rolled her eyes. _'I've known her for years and she's always denied my telepathy, but these past few days, when it benefits her, suddenly she's a believer_.

"I can Dawn. He's real scared, but seems OK otherwise."

"What about the guys patrolling out front?"

"I can't hear them. It's all red and snarly."

"Shit."

"Yeah, Shit."

"We'll need to wait until one of them is patrolling, then we can try to take out the other."

"Then what? Can you break into a building Sookie?" Dawn asked with a bit of panic entering her voice.

"DAWN! Stop panicking, I have Jason's lock pick kit and I practiced, I'm doing ma best here!" To get ready she reached down and adjusted her tank top to make the most of her already ample cleavage; then she teased out her hair.

"Sorry Sookie, I know, I know. I'm just scared is all."

"That makes two of us. Here's our chance, one of the guards just walked to the side." Sookie stood as she spoke and pulled Dawn with her. Hidden behind her back she held a can of pepper spray and Dawn had cuffs, rope and chloroform. The chloroform was crude, they knew, but old Mr. Yuka, the biology teacher at the high school, would never miss it from the supply closet. They couldn't bring themselves to hurt anyone permanently by hitting them with something to knock them out; they just wanted to free Jason.

The guard noticed the woman and walked over. "You're on private property. Leave, or be physically removed." Sookie grimaced; he had actually licked his lips when he mentioned being physically removed.

Steeling herself mentally, she put on her best dumb blond act. "Me and Tina's car done broke down. Can we use your phone?" She twirled one foot trying to look coy while she spoke, then gave him some doe eyes. _'I hope this works, I'm going to kick Jason's butt for making me act like this.'_

The huge man offered her an appeasing smile as she spoke. '_This one'll be easy – two airheads, one for me and one for my pack brother_.' He leaned down a bit, staring at Sookie's chest and said. "I'll make a call for you. Follow me."

'_Even better than planned. We're getting right into the building_!' Sookie thought, but contained her excitement. "Oh, how can we ever thank you?" She said as he opened the door and started walking in.

He turned to Sookie and started, "I'm sure we can think….. AUUGH! You bitch. What was that?" He screamed as Sookie blasted him with pepper spray.

"Dawn! Do it."

Dawn quickly moved to cover his face with the chloroform cloth and the man fell to his knees. "Tie him up; I'm going to look for Jason. Once you have this guy secure, get out and bring the car around – but remember, don't pull up here til you see me and Jason. If I'm not out in 30 minutes, call Sam. Maybe he'll listen to us and help this time."

Sookie stood, closed her eyes and listened. _"Sook, is that your voice? Can you hear me? I can hear noise. Get out, it's not safe. RUN."_

She turned into the hallway and yelled, "JASON, Guide me!"

He responded with a yell of his own. "GET OUT."

She smirked, now that she heard his actual voice, she knew his direction and she headed that way. She found him locked in a cell at the end of the hall. In fact, she passed many empty cells in the hallway and thought, _'if this is a warehouse, what the hell are all these cells doing in here? At least they are all empty. I would hate to leave anyone behind.'_ She stopped her thoughts as she found Jason. He did look healthy, a bit pale and tired, but healthy. "Jason."

"Sookie, RUN."

"I can't. You're my brother; I'm not leaving without you. We subdued one of the guards already. Dawn's bringing the car around. Come on, where can I get a key?"

"Dawn's here too? Why'd she come? We broke up last month after I started seeing Amy."

"Can we chat later? KEY!?"

"You'll need to go back that guard and check his belt. Hurry. Sookie, if you are here when the vamper." He paused; then pleaded, "just hurry!"

She ran back up the hallway and checked the guard for the key. "SHIT!" She exclaimed to the empty lobby. '_We got the guard without the key. I'll need to see if the other one is back, maybe I can surprise him_.' She opened the door and glanced around. Dawn saw this and started moving the car to the door. "NO DAWN! NOT YET!" Sookie screamed, but it was too late. The other guard had returned and tackled Sookie to the ground. Sookie yelped in pain, but was able to yell to Dawn, "DRIVE! GET SAM!"

Sookie turned to her attacker; he had a prideful look on his face as he yanked her up roughly. "Welcome little lady. Not sure where Michael is, but I'll deal with that after you are locked away safely waiting for my boss."

Sookie looked at his belt and groaned. '_Yep, we knocked out the wrong guard, there's the goddamn key_.' Sookie fought him into the building but he didn't relent. He had to be 6 inches taller than her and at least 80 pounds heavier. His size gave him complete control. Stopping when he saw the other guard on the ground, tied up and unconscious he glared down at her. "What did you do to him?"

"Pepper spray and chloroform, nothing that can cause real damage."

Never having been hit in her life, the strike to her face from the guard surprised Sookie. "You bitch. You'll be punished for that. Perhaps my boss will let me take care of it; maybe Michael will be well enough to join in."

Sookie's eyes went wide in terror. _'What the hell IS this place?_'

His yanking jostled Sookie out of her thoughts and they continued down the hall. Trying to taunt her, he pulled the key from his belt. "Is this why you came back out?" Once the cell door was open, he tossed her in and she landed hard on the stone floor. "Enjoy your afternoon. Today, I cannot wait for dark. I really hope he lets me deal with you."

Sookie moved to the side of her cell that shared a wall with Jason, they touched fingers through the bars. When she opened her mouth to speak, he shushed her. They could both hear the noise as the conscious guard made a phone call asking for a medic and a backup guard. After hanging up, he tended to his brother until they heard other voices. Sookie felt like she was waiting an eternity to speak to Jason, but every time she opened her mouth, he shook his head and said to her through his thoughts to "just keep quiet." While waiting, Sookie examined her brother closely. She could see that he was clean, though there was no shower in the cell, just a simple commode and sink. He had been missing for 3 weeks, but didn't look as though he had lost weight. Upon further examination, she saw something that stopped her heart. '_Bite marks. He's being held so he can be food, I the bite I saw in Lala's head was not a one-time thing. Lafayette didn't have any marks when he returned. What the hell?_'

Almost desperate to talk, she chose to whisper, "Jason, please."

He shushed her again. When she grew frustrated, he simply thought to her, "They can hear you whisper."

Finally, they heard the footsteps of the guards leaving the building and the door closed. Jason turned to Sookie. "I told ya ta RUN Sookie. I know you usually have the brains, but this time I knew what I was talkin' 'bout. Now you're stuck here like me."

"I had to get you out. I've been working on this…."

"Stop, I think they record in here too. I don't wanna hear how ya found me." Then he stopped talking out loud and thought, "don't tell anyone here about, well, you mind readin'." With that, he pointed to his head subtly and she nodded in understanding.

'_I know what he means; he is telling me to not discuss the fact that I can read minds. Jason isn't always that bright, but he's been captive here for weeks, I'll trust his knowledge on this one._' Instead of continuing the discussion about her disabled brain and mind reading, she brought up another concern. "What did that guard mean when he said I will be punished for hurting the guard?"

Jason's eyes went wide. "Whatcha do to him? You spill any blood?"

"Blood? Are they vampire? I thought they only were out at night?"

"No no, they aren't vampire, but I have heard about punishment for blood offenses, ya know, spilled blood.

"I don't think so; we knocked him out and tied him up."

While Jason spent a moment being proud of his fierce little sister and his ex-girlfriend, the reality of the situation came back to him quickly though. "I don't know what'll happen. No blood, that's good, ya won't die, but other punishments ain't pleasant." He unconsciously grabbed his wrist as he spoke. _'No use telling her any details, she'll just worry all day and maybe I can take her place fer her.'_ He nodded his head at her cot. "You should rest now while ya can. The vamper may keep ya up all night."

"I'll stay here holding your hand. I've missed you."

They stayed like that for a few hours. Sookie was still while Jason slept, spending the time considering her fate and praying that Sam would finally help now that they knew for sure where Jason was.

"Jason? She finally broke the silence, waking him. He grunted back to her and opened his eyes.

"When does the vamp arrive?"

"Depends, sometimes he rests under this building and he's up here before it's dark; sometimes as early as 4PM, we got no windows, so he cain't fry. If he ain't here for the day, it's usually about 6:30 bafore he gets here."

"Oh, you have a watch, what time is it?"

"It is just after 4PM Miss Stackhouse." A deep baritone voice answered. She whipped her head around to see the vampire. "Lucky for you, I rested here today. Or maybe," he smirked. "It's lucky for me since it gives us extra time to get acquainted."

Standing and squaring her shoulders, she replied, "Mr. Northman, I have come to see to the release of my brother. This is America, and everyone is entitled to due process, so he needs to be set free. Let us go, and we'll ignore this whole thing. Now that we are certain he is here, my partner has already left to find help."

He laughed. He outright laughed at her statement. "Oh Miss Stackhouse, you are a treat. I'm really going to enjoy your company. You'll have to tell me later how you know my name, as I know your brother didn't speak it while you were waiting for me." He stopped to take in her indignant expression. "Let me explain your situation. Your partner was stopped by some of my other guards and has been held in the basement of Fangtasia today. No rescue party is coming for you."

Inside, Sookie groaned. Outwardly, she maintained her steel expression and pressed on. "I left a note for my Gran explaining where I am. She will find it when she returns home tonight and she will get help."

Eric responded by making a call. He spoke so low and so fast that Sookie could not keep up. When he closed the phone he turned to Sookie, "That problem will be addressed. We won't be disturbed by any of your back up plans Miss Stackhouse."

That response finally put a chink in Sookie's armor. "Are you going to hurt my Gran? Please, please don't do anything to her."

"Nonsense. That would raise too much suspicion. I'm simply going to collect the letter before she does. It would be helpful for you to tell me where it is. This way I can be sure that your Gran isn't hurt."

Tears formed in Sookie's eyes as she responded. "The letter is on my dresser. She was out with the Descendants of the Glorious Dead today and was planning to be home after dinner. You can get the letter and get out of the house before she even sees you. …. Please, don't hurt her."

"While I am very curious about this 'Descendants of the Glorious Dead' we'll have to save that for later." The second call Eric made was a bit longer than the first, and Sookie could follow the conversation. Apparently, he was sending someone to break into the house and retrieve the letter immediately and he had ordered that nobody be harmed in the process.

When he snapped the phone shut, Sookie looked up and spoke softly, "Thank you for not hurting Gran."

Never having heard such a sincere thank you before, he found himself staring at the innocent before him. _'She's locked in a cell, I can smell her fear, yet her thank you seemed genuine? I smell something else too, a virgin perhaps? I will confirm this when I get closer to her scent. I simply must find out more about this creature. I am going to enjoy having her here.'_ Realizing he was staring he raised his chin slightly and spoke again. "Now it is time to see if you taste as delicious as your brother. I'm going to open your cell. If you give me any problems, you _WILL_ regret it. Do I make myself clear?"

Sookie turned to Jason first and he nodded. After that confirmation, she turned to the vampire and said, "I understand."

Sookie backed into the cell as far as she could, trying to put distance between her and the huge vampire. He only smirked. "You can't get away from me Miss Stackhouse." He stopped just inside the door, reached out his arm and said, "Come willingly, and I will endeavor to make it as painless as possible. I am certain your brother can confirm there is a difference in how you feel the bites."

Jason piped in. "Sookie, it IS better to comply. Please trust me."

Eric cackled. "You have finally learned obedience, slave." He said to Jason.

With that comment, Sookie's fire was back. "SLAVE? What the hell did that mean?"

"You WILL learn soon enough, now come here before I grow impatient waiting."

She stood firm, and even Jason called out again. "Sookie, go to him. Please, don't make me watch him hurt you."

It was the desperation in Jason's voice that finally had Sookie moving towards her captor. Once close enough, his arm banded around her waist and pulled her to him, his nose immediately going to her neck. "You smell even better than your brother; simply intoxicating." He licked for a moment, then bit. Sookie couldn't believe it didn't hurt. In fact, he was holding her so closely, an act that never gave her comfort from anyone, that she found she was enjoying the feeling. '_I can't hear him. His mind is silent, even now that I am touching him.'_

When he smelled he confirmed. '_She is a virgin! It's been years since I've smelled that scent. _The flavor exploded on Eric's tongue. 'A_nd her taste! Forget the brother; THIS is a taste I will never give up, it'll still be sweet after I take her virginity too_. _I must get Godric's opinion on these two, I taste Fae.'_ As he drank, he became aroused by her and groaned. '_Just a few grinds and I could probably get off by her taste and scent alone_.' he started shifting her for maximum contact Sookie halted him by asking "What's wrong? Why are you groaning?"

He sighed and licked the dripping blood from her neck, not wanting to waste a drop, grabbed her chin and exclaimed, "You taste much better than your brother, but you talk too much." When she opened her mouth to protest, he dove in and kissed her, forcing his tongue into her mouth.

Squealing through her full mouth, she protested as best she could by pounding his shoulders with her fists. When he backed off she whispered, "Please, I'm not like that."

"Oh, I can tell." Not letting her go, he rubbed his hands down her back and squeezed her ass. '_I am going to enjoy her for a long time. Yes, her innocence, her smell, her breasts, her perfect soft skin. SHIT! I already promised the Weres they could deliver her punishment, but I find I am disinclined to hand her over, I don't want her marked. How can I get out of this bind? I don't think I can. If I go back on my word to the Weres, I will appear soft. I will just heal her after they are through; I already need to heal the bruise on her face_.' Reluctant but resolved in his decision, he continued his commands for the evening. "Enough pleasantness for now, my guards from today have claimed their right to punish you for your actions today. We'll take care of that next." Eric started pulling Sookie to the cell opening.

"WAIT!" Jason yelled. "Take me in her place."

'_Interesting. Such loyalty to each other and a possible solution for my quandary about needing to turn Sookie over to the Weres for punishment.'_ He stopped and turned to Jason. "It was her crime. I can't see how punishing you would be satisfactory to my Weres."

Jason continued while Eric stared. "She came for me; she harmed the guard in her efforts to release me, it is my punishment to bear."

'_And a decently intelligent argument from Jason? Truly interesting indeed. Plus, I can prevent her from being hurt and still command respect. Yes, this is a good idea. I can spend time alone with her while Jason is punished too_.'

"I will agree to this."

"Jason….."

"Sookie, be quiet. Ya didn't listen ta me when I toldya ta run. Please listen now."

Eric called to the Weres and they came, ready to collect Sookie, both wearing excited grins. He pointed to Jason and said, "You will punish Jason for your injuries."

Michael, the injured Were protested, "Excuse me? She attacked me. She gets punished."

Eric turned to Michael and bared his fangs. "Were, this is my decision and you will be quiet on the matter. She was trying to rescue her brother who committed the original crime the reasoning is sound. Besides, have you no pride? You were bested by a human. If you do not wish that information to get around, I suggest you handle Stackhouse quickly and return him without another word."

The Were guards removed Jason and walked down the hall, Eric stopped them "By the way, there was no blood spilled. I expect the punishment to fit the crime. I better not see too many injuries when he returns." They nodded and continued down the hall.

Eric gestured for Sookie to sit on her cot. He moved to sit beside her, wanting to take in more of her delicious sent. "Are you smelling me?" she asked as he leaned over and breathed in.

"I am. I told you, your scent is intoxicating to me. You smell like you were outside in the sunshine today."

'_I don't even want to think about that_.' She lost that train of thought when she heard Jason crying out. "What are they doing to him?"

"This is unusual; it sounds like a belt or whip. I would have thought they would punch him, that's typically what a Were would do."

Sookie stayed quiet for a moment, thinking about Jason's sacrifice. When she couldn't listen to Jason's cries any longer she turned to Eric to talk. "You've said that word, Were, a few times now. You called that guard Were. What does it mean?"

Eric thought quickly on how to respond. '_I'm keeping her, so she will know soon enough, if anything changes, I will just glamour it away. Yes, my new pet will know'_. "Have you ever considered that since Vampires are real, other mythical creatures are as well?"

She thought for a moment then blurted out "Werewolves?"

'_Oh, she's quick too. This conversation took hours with Jason, and one of the Were finally needed to shift in front of him to believe it. Intriguing_.' He replied to her, "Yes Miss Stackhouse. You put that together quickly. My guards here are Weres, they change into wolves, and are the only ones called Weres. There are other shifters who add their familiar to the name – were-bear, were-tiger etc."

"Bears and Tigers?"

"Some are shifters who can become any animal. There are many different types of weres, for example, there is a pack of werepanthers that live near your town. Of course, they are weak and inbred. A disgusting lot to be honest."

"You mean the folks in Hotshot are panthers."

"Yes, you impress me again by putting that together."

"I know I'm blond and busty, but I'm not stupid." Her mind was reeling with this information and it dawned on her: Sam was some type of shifter. His mind felt like the Weres here and the folks she met from Hotshot. '_That son of a bitch. He knew my secret and never shared his_.'

'_Blond, busty, curvy, intoxicating_.' He simply nodded his head. "As interesting as the conversation about Weres is, we must now discuss something else. You breached my security and entered a building where I was in my daydeath. I want to know how you found your brother and this location."

Sookie froze and took in his words. '_Shit!_ _I was so sure I could get in, rescue Jason and get out. He needs to be out and with Dawn. I have to make this right. Maybe I can trade my telepathy for Jason's freedom. Maybe I can trade my compliance. If I ever get out, I'm going to beat Sam and Bud for not helping me save Jason. I begged them both for help. Everybody in Bon Temps knows I can read minds, most have known since I was a child, yet when I dug around Lala's head and found that Jason was being held captive by this vampire, suddenly nobody believed me. He's off with Amy they all said. Sure, he left a note, but it was forced. Dammit, I have to get Jason out.' _While she was thinking, Jason was returned to his cell, and he moved to stand near the bars between their cells. Sookie reached through to hold Jason's hand and gave him a small smile. "Thank you" she whispered. Sookie continued to stare at Jason, deep in thought. Finally she turned to Eric.

Eric remained still, watching as Sookie pondered her situation. He never expected to hear what she said.

"I'll make you a deal."

'_OH, this is going to be good._' He turned, keeping his features frozen, but internally anticipating her next comments. "I'm listening."

"Let Jason go. I'll stay here and serve time in his stead. You already said you prefer my blood."

"You would stay with me willingly?"

"SOOKIE NO!" Jason cried out.

She whipped her head towards her brother and admonished, "Hush Jason, you don't know my motivation. Now you must trust me." The she slowly turned back to Eric and restated, "I will stay with you in trade for Jason."

After the siblings finished their back and forth, Eric responded. "Sookie, who said I was letting you go? I do prefer your blood, but I can keep both of you and alternate feeding by day to prevent either of you from being weakened. Having both of you will only benefit me. In any case, Jason is in captivity for his part in the final death of a vampire. I simply cannot ignore it."

"Amy killed that vampire and you know it." Jason interjected.

Sookie was shocked and asked, "Why would you keep me for my crime, the guard who was hurt already extracted his punishment from Jason. We're even."

He ignored Jason and asked Sookie. "I told you I could kill you for knowing one of my resting places. Incarcerating you is a light sentence."

"It's not my problem if you aren't careful enough to keep your locations secret."

"Ah, back to my original question. How did you find this location?"

'_Shit, I was trying to keep him off that topic.'_ Sookie decided to ignore it and try to get back to Jason's release. "Mr. Northman, what about what Jason said, that he's not guilty."

"He participated in the vampire's death and he most definitely drained Eddie to use and sell vampire blood."

"He's served time, and well, served you his blood. He should be let go and given your vampire hypnosis to forget he was here."

"You think offering to stay here will make me change my mind? I can already keep you here if I want. Sookie, Jason should be killed for the crime of draining a vampire. He lives only because of his other uses. The payment for his crime is his life."

"I understand you to be a man of honor and…"

He cut her off, "I'm not a man, I am a vampire, and where have you heard anything about me?"

She glared at him and decided to ignore his question about her source of information. "Vampire is just another label representing something about a person – American, Buddhist, Vampire, Politician, Clergy, Were – you can still be one of those labels and be a man."

Eric froze and cut her off by asking, "What did you just say?"

She let out an exasperated sigh and responded, "I was just saying that you are a man with a label of vampire. Just like I'm a woman who also happens to be a waitress, Christian, and a southerner. Can I continue?" She paused and waited for Eric to nod that he had heard her. "As I said, you are a man of honor and I am offering you a trade, why would you not allow this?"

'_Vampire is just a label? How could she possibly know that Godric believed the same thing? _He moved to sit on the cot. "There are so many things wrong with what you said, but I will focus on your brother. Your brother's punishment is my commitment to the vampires in my area to keep THEM safe from humans who could hurt them, in this case, your brother. I would be failing them by letting him go."

"You let Lafayette go already for dealing."

Eric's face grew dark and Sookie knew she had made a mistake. Lunging and grabbing her hair, he yanked it back and stared down at her face. "How do you know that?"

'_SHIT SOOKIE, think, then talk_.' Tears started forming in her eyes from the pain to her scalp. "You're hu hurting me."

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!" He bellowed

"It was ….was a guess." She gasped out. "He went m mis missing when Jason did. He came b b back and didn't remember anything, but he was scared and his dreams were weird. He cried out in his s sl sleep. I already knew he was a drug dealer, it wasn't a big l leap to think he moved onto V."

Eric released her hair but still glared at her. "You don't live with Lafayette, how do you know of his dreams?"

Sookie started rubbing her scalp but answered with a lie. "I t told you he was sc scared at first so he stayed with my Gran and me. He cried out things in his sleep." She moved back further into the cell, but still had the courage to continue on. "Since you didn't deny you had Lafayette for dealing AND you let him go, you need to let Jason go."

'_I can't think straight with her around. I should kill her for her defiance, her challenges. I should have ripped her scalp off, not just pulled her hair, yet her tears cut through me. I don't want to see her hurt. I'm not letting her go though. I want her around. Wait, did I just willingly think that I wanted a human around? She practically quoted Godric a moment ago. Gods, is she the one? Why didn't I think of that sooner? Look at the damage I'll have to repair. I need to get away from her and think. I need to talk to Pam._' He stopped his thoughts, resolving to talk to Pam before making any decisions. Knowing he had to leave, he stood and said. "Your brother did more than just drain a random vampire. Lafayette had a mutual deal with the vampire whose blood he sold. Your brother participated in the final death of that vampire after he kidnapped and drained him."

She turned to her brother, "Jason?"

"I tried to save him, and Amy caught me feeding him and releasing him from his silver bindings. She staked him."

"You see, he tried to save him, but you already knew that from your hypnosis thingy." She moved to stand directly at Eric and stared angrily at the vampire with her hands on her hips, but her words were to Jason. "I bet he's only keeping you because you're tasty."

'_She's quite clever for being Jason's sister. I'll need to keep an eye on that, but now, I must get away and think; she's just making me hard.'_ Now at the cell door, he offered, "I have told you, he should be killed for his actions, he is not here just because he's tasty. I will consider your request to trade your life for Jason's; IF you can convince me of your value. I already spent time training your brother, with your disrespectful attitude; I would need to start over again."

'_My value - what's_ _my decision, telepathy or not.' _Chickening out on revealing her telepathy, she offered_. _"I offer you my compliance. I won't fight you, I'll drop the attitude. I'll stay here forever." Sookie spoke with confidence, but her eyes dropped to the floor after she spoke.

"NO SOOKIE. You have your whole life ahead of you."

"No Jason, I don't. I can't have the life you can have. Jason, Dawn is pregnant, it's yours. You need to be with your child. I'm offering him my compliance so you can go." With that revelation, she slumped to the floor and wept.

Moving quickly to be away from the tears, Eric closed the door to her cell and locked her in. "I'll consider your offer. Jason, you may want to show your sister what to expect since she thinks she can fill your shoes. A proper show of respect could sway me. I'll be back before dawn." With that, he vamped out of the warehouse and into the sky.

His flight took him to the parking lot of Merlotte's Bar and Grill and he approached the staff door. His security Weres followed Dawn earlier in the day, but they did not capture her. They heard her leave phone messages for her boss, the Shifter Sam Merlotte, requesting help. Since she had not approached any other authorities, they left her be to wait for instructions. Eric decided to simply glamour the information from her; he couldn't afford to have any additional Bon Temps citizens to go missing. As he expected, Dawn was with Sam pleading for help. He listened at the door for a moment.

"SAM! We know where they are. We have to go get them. Are you too scared? God Sam, you've been in love with Sookie for years, and now you're turning your back on her?"

"Dawn, it's not that simple. Knowing where she is doesn't mean we can rescue her." Sam had been trying to convince Dawn to stay out of it. Based on what Sookie told him, he knew from the description of the vampire; it was Eric Northman. '_I can't go against Northman; now Dawn and Sookie ran off today on their own. SHIT!'_

Before Dawn could start yelling again, Eric opened the door and strode in. "Shifter."

Sam reacted to Eric's intrusion and stood in front of Dawn protectively. "Northman, what do you want?"

"You KNOW this vampire?" Dawn screeched.

"Shifter, let me take care of her memory of this issue, then we can talk."

Sam knew he could not fight the vampire. Not physically in his office or by appeal to the supernatural community. Eric Northman, the vampire in front of him, was the Sheriff of this area and he set the punishments for supernatural offenses. For some reason, Jason was being punished and he couldn't interfere. For Sookie, he would try to bargain for her safety. To help his cause, he moved aside and gave the vampire access to Dawn.

Eric quickly took control of her mind and erased her knowledge of Jason and now Sookie's captivity. He replaced her memories of her part in finding the warehouse with trying to convince Sookie not to go out on her own in search of Jason. He wanted to learn how she and Sookie found his warehouse, but he would need to wait until he could glamour Sookie later. To let Sam hear the details would allow him to know about his possible weaknesses. Pleased to have both removed his warehouse location from the girl's mind and setting up the cover story he would be using for Sookie later, he turned to Sam and smirked.

Sam had heard the glamour and shrank a little. While listening to Eric's glamour, he learned that Dawn and Sookie found Jason at one of Eric's resting places. He figured that he now had Sookie in addition to Jason. While Eric finished with Dawn, he spoke to Sookie silently in his head. _'Shit, Sookie, how did you find his resting place? He's got you now. I hope he's hasn't already killed you. And if you are alive, keep your goddamn telepathy to yourself. _Dawn was dismissed and Sam offered Eric a chair while he sat behind his desk. He wasn't surprised when the vampire chose to remain standing, but he pressed on. "Can I plead for Sookie's life?"

"She won't be killed."

"But you're keeping her." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes."

"Can I see her?"

"No." There was a moment of silence before Eric continued with a smirk. "Look, as entertaining as it is to see you in despair over losing the love of your life."

"I don't lo…."

"Please, you were begging for her life a moment ago. As I was saying, as entertaining as this is, I simply came to ensure that Dawn's claims about Jason's location wouldn't be a problem and that you'll stay out of my business with the Stackhouses. I won't warn you again, I won't tolerate any interference. One act of attempted heroism will end in your death. Do you understand?" He stared directly into Sam's eyes and waited.

"I understand. Just don't hurt her. I'm sure you can get whatever you need without hurting her."

"You make no demands of me, shifter."

"It's not a demand, it's a request."

Eric was out the door before Sam even knew he was leaving.

OOOoooOOOooo

At Shreveport's premier vampire nightclub, Fangtasia, Pamela Ravenscroft sat on the throne waiting for her vampire maker, Eric Northman. Pam's fangs, gothic clothing and perfectly coiffed hair attracted plenty of attention from the fangbangers, a name used to describe the sycophants that follow vampire hoping to be bitten. She had just kicked away yet another human when she felt Eric arrive through her maker/child bond. Standing from the throne, she bared her fangs to the humans blocking her so she can meet him in his office, the fangbangers part as expected. Once in the office she asks, "Eric, is there a problem this evening?"

"Why do you ask Pam?"

"You haven't been replying to my texts."

"I was flying."

"Did you land here? I didn't hear the usual squeals from the fangbangers when you land outside Fangtasia."

"I landed down the street and ran to the back door. They would have only seen a blur from my running."

"The humans call that fast running 'vamping', Eric, get with the lingo." She chuckled at the word. "So, if you were flying instead of driving your car that usually means there is some urgency. So I ask you again; is there a problem?"

"No problem Pam, just interesting developments." Pam sat and motioned for Eric to continue. "You know I have Jason Stackhouse imprisoned in a cell."

"Yes, blood on tap."

Eric smirked before he continued. "Well, his sister came to rescue him today."

"Have you killed her yet for finding one of your resting places? How did she find your building? OR wait, you told me Stackhouse is delicious, is she also delicious? Do I get to help you drain her? Is it an early Christmas present?"

"Pamela! You have to stop talking to so I can answer questions." She stopped speaking and nodded to acknowledge her maker. After settling into his office chair, he finally answered. "She is even more delicious than her brother and I am keeping her, not draining her."

"KEEPING HER?! Why would ….. Wait. Is she the one?"

"I have considered it, though it's hard to believe after waiting almost 25 years." He paused; then added quietly. "Honestly I started preparing myself for failure a few years ago. I was sure I would never find the woman that Godric challenged me to find. It didn't dawn on me right away that she could be the one."

"Uh oh, so did you treat her badly before you realized the possibility, did you taste her forcefully?"

"Yes, we have damage control to do."

"OK, we'll make her forget your sheriff mode with glamour."

"We have to do so sparingly; remember we glamoured Kathleen and Godric rejected her?" He signed; then continued. "I suppose we can explain to him why we needed use glamour just this once."

"I think he would be fine with altering her memory with glamour just this once. It was the fact that YOU didn't feel anything for Kathleen that Godric rejected." Pam stopped to think for a moment. "Her name is Sookie, right?" Eric nodded. "I remember it from the background checks on Jason. So how do we deal with the fact that Jason is in custody?"

"Oh, you'll love this. Sookie already discovered I was holding Jason for his blood."

"How did she figure that out?"

"She is quite clever."

She giggled. "Jason's sister is clever? That's, Eric, that's funny. …. But does she realize that if you didn't like Jason's blood, you would have killed him?"

"I explained that several times."

"Tell me more, what's she like?"

"She's curvy and blond and feisty." He laughed, "When she announced to Jason I wanted him because he was tasty, she put her hands on her hips and glared at me to challenge her statements."

"She challenged you and lived?"

"She challenged me and I got hard."

"So you fucked her?"

He shook his head. "She's a virgin; I could smell it when I got close enough."

"Holy shit Eric. She's got to be the one, right? Does she feel like she could be the one?"

"Yes. I could see her being the one."

"Then, let's get busy."


	7. That's Not Gonna Work

**Hi all. Enjoy this one –since I leave tomorrow for my business trip and I could have some quality time to write at the airport – OR NONE! I don't get back til late on Thursday so I just can't promise when I'll update again. **

**You know what would be really cool though – is extra reviews to help me through the trip, please.**

**Thanks to C. Harris and A. Ball for the characters – even if they didn't do right by them (IMO).**

**~mags**

Chapter 6 - That doesn't work

October 15, 2003

Shreveport, LA

While they waited for Eric's return, Sookie and Jason sat in their cells, up against the bars between them. They had always been close, but the situation increased their love for each other and they sat holding hands. They remained silent for a few minutes, pondering their circumstance. Jason made it clear Sookie could not talk about anything they didn't want the vampers to know (Jason explained that's what he called them). So, though he was extremely curious, Jason could not ask how she found him. He knew Sookie was smarter than him, even though she struggled in school. To have tracked down a 1000 year old vamper's hiding place? Damn, she made him proud. She also made him mad. Now she's stuck here. He could see how excited Eric became from just feeding on her. '_Her fate is sealed. He's gonna keep her. The only question is will he let me go in exchange? If so, I'll be back for her. If she found ME, I know I can find HER_.' Sookie interrupted his thoughts.

"Jason?"

"Yeah Sook."

"Can you answer some questions for me before the vampers get back? Eric mentioned he could be swayed. I want to put on the best show to get you out of here."

Knowing Sookie was going to hate what Eric meant he sighed, but agreed to answer her questions and share as much information as he could.

"What did he mean a proper show of respect?"

"Sookie, this is why I told you ta run. I'm sorry we're in this mess." He sighed. "Sookie, Eric has expectations of his prisoners. Yer a slave to him now."

"Yeah, he said that to you. What does that mean?"

"First, you need to address him as Master."

"MASTER?!"

"And you cain't look him in the eye, keep yer face down."

"Ok, call him Master, look down. Is that all?"

"When he comes fer a feedin' step away from the cell door, towards the back of the cell, so it don't look like yer gonna try to run for it. He likes me to tilt my head to the side, ya know, to be ready for the bite. You should move your hair away, or just keep it up."

Sookie gulped. "What else, what happens if don't do those things?"

"Sookie, you um, he will, I mean. Ah hell! Just follow the rules so I can sleep a' night."

"Jason, I need to know how bad, I mean, what'all did they do to you for my 'crime'?"

"It was a belt. That weren't too bad cause they just did it, ya know through ma jeans. Was harder than we e'er got as kids tho." He stopped, trying to think of the best words to convince Sookie to just listen to the vampers instead of pissing them off and getting a punishment. He decided to be honest. "Sookie, he can hurt ya real bad so just listen to him. I know yer all independent and all, but it'll just git ya hurt. Promise me you'll listen and I won't argue with you about offring to take ma place."

Sookie considered what Jason told her. She knew she had a temper and DID NOT like to be told what to do by anyone. That was going to be a problem. The questions she asked herself centered on what would win out: Her desire for independence, or her desire to not get punished. Jason wasn't giving too many details, but she could tell the punishments were not easy. The belt had been used by her Mama, and Jason knew she could handle that. Whatever happened to Jason must've been worse than what Mama did. "Jason, I didn't trust you before when I told you to run. I believe you're really trying to protect me from what could happen. So, I'll do my damndest to follow the rules and act compliant to prevent any punishment. What else do I need to know?"

"If yer gonna get punished, ya just go and do as yer told or it'll be way worse. He's had me chained up after a punishment sometimes for defyin' him – that's a bitch. Yer hurting and just want to lay down and here you are, stuck standing against the wall in chains."

"OH Jason, I am sorry for what you've been through."

"Sookie, why are YOU apologizin'? Hell, it's hooking up with Amy that got me in this mess. You tried to tell me to get away from her. This is my own damn fault."

"Jason, what else has happened while you've been here? I'm just trying to understand what to expect."

"Well the good news is, I've seen other prisoners get punished much worse than me, hopefully it'll be tha same fer you. He doesn't want to weaken me for feedin, ya know feedin from ma blood."

"How often does he feed from you?"

"3 or 4 times a week."

"How do you shower?"

"A guard takes me out in the morning for a shower. It's not private; they make me keep the door open. Sorry Sook, the guards are all men."

"Christ on a Cracker, nobody but my family has ever seen me naked."

"I know Sookie, but they never let Amy shower in private." Jason shifted uncomfortably and spoke. "Look, he's probably gonna want, I mean, you should probably expect. Shit Sookie, just prepare yourself. I'm sorry; you deserve something so much better for your first time."

"What do you mean?"

"Sex Sookie, he's probably gonna want sex with ya." A quick look in Jason's head showed that he heard the guards with Amy while she was a prisoner.

"Jason, did he ever, um, approach you?"

"WHA? OH Hell no! I woulda taken any kind of punishment to stop that."

"Then why do you think he's gonna, you know."

"Sook, dindya see how he reacted to you earlier?" Being the innocent she was, Sookie's eyes went wide and she shook her head. "Sookie, when he fed from you, he, his um ….. God this ain't easy to say to your sister – but well, it was hard."

"Hard? OH, is that what THAT was?"

'_My little sister is gonna be violated by a goddamn vamper, and there ain't a thing I can do about it_.' Jason cringed at her realization. "Yeah Sookie, he was definitely into you."

Sookie listened in horror as the words Jason said sunk in. Sadness settled in as she realized that her days as a virgin were over. Dating hadn't been possible with her telepathy since touching only amplified what she heard from people. Remaining a virgin hadn't been a decision she made on principle or morality, but necessity. While she hadn't been saving herself for a wedding night; she sure as hell hoped to be in love when it happened. Now, now it looked like it would be nothing better than rape. "Jason thanks for the warning, but we need to change the topic or I'm going to start panicking." He nodded." "What do you eat? When do you eat?"

"The food comes in from take out, or someone that cooks for the vamper. We didn't get anything since breakfast taday I guess acause a your break-in."

"Sorry Jase."

"Don worry 'bout it, I cain't tell ya how much I luv ya cause you tried to rescue me." He stopped to think for a moment. "So, Dawn is really pregnant?"

"And it's yours according to Dawn." She reached further through to rub his back as best she could. "Whatcha gonna do?"

"I'm gonna get out a'here and make her an honest woman AND I'm gonna figure out a way to get you out."

"You cain't come back for me."

"I can and I will!"

"No Jase, you won't remember your time here or that I'm even here when you leave. Eric will wipe your memory and implant my death or something."

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah, some kind of hypnosis. I read about it on a vampire gossip page – honestly – I didn't believe it, but I guess that's why Lala doesn't remember."

"No way!"

"Yep."

"I wonder if he really has Dawn too. I guess we'll find out when he returns."

"We'll appeal to him, she's pregnant. Why would he want a pregnant prisoner?" She stopped and thought for a moment. "Jason?"

"Yeah Sook."

"I'm scared."

"Me too."

OOOoooOOOooo

"So Eric, how do you want to do this?" Pam asked. "Are you going to free both of them and try to date her?"

"That's what I'm working on; I just have to sort through the details. Maybe we can just implant something with me helping to get her brother back. SHIT!"

"What?"

"The Shifter. He already knows I had Jason and Sookie."

"So, we'll kill him."

"I suppose; though the regulations against indiscriminant supernatural kills would prohibit it. I can't risk it though, he loves her."

"They're together?"

"No, he's never acted on it."

"Aww, did you guys have a heart to heart?"

Eric growled. "Pamela! Do not test me tonight! I simply overheard him speaking to the other woman who was working with Sookie. She said something to him about loving her."

'_Fucking Pam, I need her to focus. I have to deal with the Shifter, free Jason and Sookie with a reasonable glamour, find a way to connect with Sookie afterwards and she is making jokes!_' Eric threw Pam out of his office so he could plan. Killing the shifter could cause problems, even though he wasn't part of a pack. He needed a plausible story for Jason's disappearance. He needed another plausible story for meeting Sookie. He needed to go back and see HER. '_At least I get the chance to erase our first meeting from her. That wouldn't' be a good start_.' He snickered to himself as he walked out to the floor to his throne. He hated the throne, but Pam insisted the 'vermin' and she called the humans came to buy his overpriced drinks to get a glimpse of him. He pulled out his Blackberry, praising the company for the creation of his cure for throne boredom and started e-mailing instructions to his day man, Bobby Burnham. Once Bobby's tasks were delivered, he moved to reviewing the email from his various businesses, replying and assigning tasks as well, all while appearing bored or mean to the humans. _'Gods they even stink. I need to go back and smell Sookie, she is like bottled sunshine_.' He adjusted his pants since thinking about Sookie made him hard. A particularly busty blond came into view and he decided he needed some relief. He made eye contact and motioned for her to approach him. The girl almost fell over herself trying to get to him quickly.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Bambi."

He almost laughed out loud when he heard her name, but turned his reaction into a smirk. "Bambi, would you like to join me in my office for a while?"

"Oh yes, Master."

Now he almost rolled his eyes. "Bambi, don't presume that I am your Master. It's not something you can just start calling me because you heard it in the ladies room. Now, come along."

She followed him to the back hallway and his office, trying to keep up with his long legs as best she could in her 4 inch heels. Once in the office Eric was all business. He pushed her over the desk and ripped off her underwear. Wanting to finish so he could get to Sookie, he just plunged in without any concern about her comfort or preparation. She squealed out in surprise, but kept up with his actions as best she could. She started moaning and he told her to keep quiet as her noises were ruining his thoughts of pounding into Sookie. "Hold yourself up from the desk with your arms." He ordered. Once she had complied, he moved his arms around to free her breasts from the top of her dress. He did love a well endowed woman, and Bambi's breasts filled his large hands. Just a few more thrusts at vampire speed and he went over the edge. He stood, put himself to rights and told her to go.

"But you didn't feed."

"I already fed tonight."

"But, I wanted to feed you, baby."

"BABY!? I'm not sure what you are thinking, but I chose you for some quick relief. I am NOT your Master, I am NOT your baby, I am not your anything. Your breasts are magnificent but that's where your qualities end since your cunt is a gaping hole and not worthy of a repeat if you come back to Fangtasia. Now, get out of my sight."

Now slightly more comfortable, he stayed in the office to finish up his Sheriff work before he could leave to see Sookie again. The reveal actually added to the administrative work he needed to handle due to vampire reporting required by human organizations. Thankfully, Pam shared some of the burden with him, but not all so he planned to stay for a while working. He wanted to catch up so he could ignore the paperwork for a few days. '_I want to focus on Sookie and begin my - what is the word? courting, romancing, no – dating. Yes, dating – that's what I'm going to do_.' Once his thoughts turned to Sookie he needed to stop quickly so he could stick to his plan for work. Once he heard the bar close and the cleaning staff arrive; he decided to head out. Before he needed to call her, Pam arrived in his office to join him.

"I can't wait to meet Sookie. Are you ready to head over?"

"Yes, we'll take you car since I flew. You drive though; I need to send some emails.

"Well, come on."

Eric quickly sent a request to Bobby to purchase tickets to the upcoming symphony in Shreveport while Pam drove, and he arranged for two vampires to pick up Sookie's car, hotwiring if necessary to get it to the warehouse. Pam heard the last request and asked Eric his plans for the glamouring and his relationship with Sookie. He admitted that he had struggled with how to integrate himself believably into her life, while dealing with the sudden return of Jason. He explained that his plan was to let Sookie go with glamour that she had tried to find Jason, but did not. He would need to glamour her to reveal how he found Jason in the first place so he could replace those memories accordingly. "I plan to have her returned home tonight from a failed attempt to find her brother. Then in a day or two, I will come rolling into Bon Temps as the hero returning Jason from his captivity with drug dealers. What do you think?"

"What about a car? Didn't you say she and Dawn had her car?"

"Yes, that's why I sent two vampires to pick up Sookie's car, she can drive it home. We'll glamour this 'Gran' to think Sookie had it all along."

"What about the fact that you already reported Jason Stackhouse as part of a vampire draining and you have claimed his life?"

"This is a huge problem, but I'm going to let him go for about a month, glamour him to keep quiet then unfortunately, he will need to be re-captured, likely killed, for his crime. We will never speak of this again as Sookie, if she is THE one, can never know. I'll be killed if I let him go."

"Yes, you would. I'll put a plan in place to have him capture immediately if there is anyone from our Queen's retinue in the area."

"That's a good backup Pam, thanks."

"And the Shifter?"

"Risky, but I am going to threaten him within an inch of his life. Jason was still legitimately captured and held for the death of a vampire so for him to interfere would be a violation of supernatural law."

"You're stretching supernatural law pretty thin. Your claiming of Sookie has nothing to do with Jason's crimes."

"Hence the threat. If he is a problem, I will take the risk to kill him."

"So, Sookie goes home this morning; then Jason is 'saved' by you. Sookie will swoon that you rescued her brother giving you a reason to ask to see her again. You're irresistible even before you're the hero; Sookie won't be able to say no."

"That's the plan."

OOOoooOOOooo

"Well what do we have here?" Sookie heard from outside her cell. She turned to see two large men unlocking her cell door.

"Get away from her!"

"Oh Jason, you don't tell anyone what to do around here." He walked into her cell. "Michael said you were beautiful and you smelled sweet, but I wanted to see for myself." He licked his lips.

"Pl ….. Please, leave me alone."

"Oh, I don't think so. You're just a prisoner, Northman doesn't care about prisoners." With that he stormed in and pushed her to the cot. Sookie squealed and tried to pound on her assailant but he didn't relent. He attacked her mouth with his tongue and started pulling her shirt from her jeans so he could put his hands on her. Sookie started landing a few good slaps to his face and he ordered his partner to hold her down. Feeling helpless, Jason started screaming at the men for Sookie who had clearly started to panic. She was pinned down and the first man had ripped her shirt apart now that her arms were firmly held above her head. He licked a path up her chest then returned to forcing his tongue into her mouth. She was about to scream again when he removed his mouth from hers but stopped when she saw her attacker's eyes widen and his mouth screw in pain. Suddenly her hands were released as the second man moved away from Sookie. Once free, Sookie scrambled to the back corner of the cell close to Jason as she watched Eric Northman and a blond vampire remove the two men forcefully. She could hear him reprimand the two men.

"Do not touch what is not yours."

"You don't care about your prisoners, what's so special about her."

"You question me? All you need to know is that you will not go near her again. I think you can cool off in a cell for a while. Pam, please secure them."

Eric returned to the cell to see Sookie curled up tightly in a ball, hiding her face. Purposely softening his voice, he quietly asked her, "Are you hurt?" He got no response so he crouched down to her level and put his hand softly on her knee. "Sookie?"

Sookie continued to ignore him, but not Jason. "Master." He heard from the other cell.

"Yes Jason."

"Maybe you could let me in with her, just to see if she is a'right?"

Eric nodded and moved to unlock Jason's cell. He watched as Jason approached Sookie slowly and spoke softly to her. After a few moments, he finally saw movement and Sookie moved to sit on Jason's lap while he rocked her. The moment was broken by the loud clicking of Pam's shoes. "They are locked in a cell at the other end of the hall."

"Thank you Pam." He turned to speak in Swedish to her. "Nu har vi ännu mer att glamour bort." (Now we have even more to glamour away)

"Ja, vad var dina vakter tänkande?" (Yes, what were your guards thinking?)

Eric ignored the question knowing that for any other prisoners, he wouldn't have cared. But Sookie? He heard her crying out and could barely refrain from killing his Were guards on the spot. He turned again to take in the scene with Jason and Sookie. With his superior eyesight, he could see bruises forming on Sookie's arms from the Were pinning her down. '_That's more to heal_.' Then he noticed her shirt was ripped apart in the front. He needed her dressed to return her home from her night of trying to save Jason. Turning to Pam, Eric ordered, "Pam, I need you to go out and purchase a new shirt for Sookie."

"Just give her one of yours."

"And how does her returning home wearing one of my shirts work with my plan?"

"Fine. But it's almost 3AM, nothing is open."

Eric smirked at Pam. He knew the moment she understood his smirk because her face pinched as though she was in pain. "OH no. No. Fucking. Way!"

"Go. You know Wal-Mart is the only place open at this hour."

"I'll find a tee-shirt from home."

"PAMELA! Sookie cannot return home in a designer tee-shirt and you know it."

"Shoes." Was Pam's one word reply.

Eric only nodded. It was easier than arguing and she would purchase them anyway.

By now, Sookie had started to calm. Eric approached her again. "Sookie, you should not have been attacked. The men have been locked up for now and I'll deal with them later. Can I get you something? A drink perhaps?"

He was relieved when she actually made eye contact with him and she asked. "Ca …. Can I get a shower? He licked me." She said with a shudder.

"Certainly. Jason, can you take your sister to the shower area?"

Jason stood; his sister cradled in his arms and followed Eric down the hall. "She won't leave, I promise, can you please let her shower alone."

Eric nodded his head and then waited outside the bathroom door. He could hear the water start and a moment later Jason left the bathroom to wait for his sister, telling her to call him if she needed anything. Both men grimaced as they heard Sookie crying in the shower, but it was Jason who spoke. "Yeah, um, she's a crier. Guess if you take her up on her offer to stay here you'd have found that out."

They both continued to stand in silence until they finally heard Pam return. "Ah, just in time, I'm sure she needs help in there." Pam said with her hand poised to open the bathroom door.

Eric growled at Pam. "You will not go in there."

She turned with her eyes wide in question but pulled her hand from the doorknob. They waited just a few more minutes and the water stopped. "Sookie." Jason started. "Got a new shirt for ya, just put your hand out the door and I'll hand it to ya when you're ready."

Startling Jason, Sookie's hand appeared through a crack in the door and he grimaced when he saw the large hand shaped bruises on her arm. He turned to Eric. "I don care what deal she made ya. I cain't leave her here if this is what's going to happen. Please, ya got to let her go."

"We'll talk when she's out."

After she dressed, Sookie emerged from the bathroom, her head down, and she immediately glued herself to Jason's side. Eric gestured to Jason to head down the hallway and they found themselves in a small conference room. He sat next the Sookie and spoke her name, as before in the cell, she did not react. "Sookie." He tried again. "I need you to look at me."

"But Master" she replied. "Jason said I should keep my head down.

'_More to erase, but I have to give Stackhouse credit for trying to train his sister while I was gone_.' He reached out and touched her chin. "Sookie, I want you to look up." Finally, her gaze met his and he was lost for a moment in her gorgeous blue eyes. He stared, trying to gain control of her mind but it didn't feel right. He pressed on so he could start the glamour and complete his plan before daybreak. "Sookie, I am going to give you some of my blood to heal your face and arms."

"Ewww, I don't want your blood. That's just gross."

'_WHAT? I just tried to glamour her and nothing happened? That has never happened_.' He decided to try again. "Sookie, don't reject my blood. It will heal you quickly."

"Mr. Northman, what are you doing? Why does ….. HEY, you're trying that vampire hocus pocus on my brain. You just cut that out right now!"

Moving so abruptly that his chair fell backwards, Eric stood and glared at Sookie, then Pam, then back to Sookie. Finally, he spoke to Pam in Swedish. "Hon kan inte glamoured. Hur är det möjligt Pam?" (She cannot be glamoured, how is the possible Pam?"

"Jag har aldrig hört talas om det förut." (I have never heard of that before.)

"Alla mina planer berodde på användningen av glamour. Jag måste tänka en stund. Få dem något att dricka" (All my plans depended on the use of glamour. I must think for a moment. Get them something to drink.)

"Jag är inte en tjänare." (I am not a servant.)

"PAMELA! Do not disobey me! I do not wish them to become ill. Get them something with sustenance; juice I think would do." He stormed out of the room to his private chambers on the lower level.

Eric knew dawn was approaching and he needed a plan. He could simply let them both go and take his chances that Sookie would agree to see him. He could cut his losses completely and just let them go and pretend he'd never met Sookie. Neither seemed like a good option. Yes, he had given up on finding 'love' as his maker wanted a few years ago, and there was no guarantee that Sookie could be 'the one', but time was running out for him – time before dawn today and time before Godric would meet the sun. He paced as he thought through his ideas. He considered more options. '_Sookie offered to stay with me, willingly. Could that be the foundation of a relationship? Could she willingly love someone who took her captive? I'll move her to my home and have Potts protect her during the day. What about Jason? He can be glamoured, so I can still return him with some story about a trip. But, how do I explain Sookie's disappearance?_' He continued to pace remembering that he had her car. '_We'll base it in reality, Jason escaped his captors leaving Sookie behind to get help_.' His decision made, he placed a call to Potts, not caring that he woke her. "Potts, prepare the guest room and something for breakfast. I will be home with a long-term guest just before dawn. You'll need to ensure she is comfortable and secure in my home while I rest today."

"Certainly Eric. Who is your guest?"

"Sookie Stackhouse."

"Jason's sister?"

"Yes, I don't have time to talk, just be ready for us." He ended the call, returned to main level and called for Pam.

Curiosity had taken over Pam's emotions and Eric didn't tease her by withholding his plans as he normally would. "I have decided to accept Sookie's offer. She will trade her freedom for her brother's. I will deal with building a relationship while she stays with me at my home. Have her car found in an accident scene with an unconscious Jason. Glamour him to believe that Sookie did find him with drug dealers who had taken him because he was not paying back a loan. Implant that he somehow escaped and left Sookie behind to get help." Still thinking as he was executing the plan, "Actually, get the drug dealers we've kicked out of Fangtasia as part of the scene. Leave evidence at their house tying them to Stackhouse's imprisonment, including Sookie's wallet and her torn shirt, but remove some of their stuff to make it look like they ran off with Sookie."

"Did you say, 'your home'?"

"I just gave you a list of items to work on, and your only reaction is that Sookie will be staying in my home? Sometimes you amaze me Pamela." When she smiled proudly, he added. "And not in a good way." Pam's eyes grew wide and she gasped at his comment. He ignored her and continued. "Yes, she will be staying at my home. I won't have her staying here where other employees have access to her. Potts will secure her during the day."

"You can't make her a slave."

"I don't intend to. I plan to woo her."

"While she is a captive? Do you really think that will work? Even if it does, won't it be love by way of the Stockholm Syndrome."

"Got anything else for me? We have a very short timeframe to get this done." Pam shook her head. "Besides Pam, if it's meant to be, it will happen."

"You will need to be charming, reign in your temper – even if that little fireball goads you."

"YES, PAMELA!"

"Like that – none of that tone or volume." He glared at her and she decided she'd said enough. "I'll take care of the accident now."

"Good. Come to my house when you rise tomorrow. We can discuss this further."

"We can just discuss it at Fang…." She stopped when she saw his face. "You're not coming in tomorrow.

"Not for a few nights. I need to help Sookie adjust." Pam started to speak but he cut her off. "I caught up on all my Sheriff paperwork and you can run the bar with Longshadow just fine. I don't want to argue this point." He glared at Pam until he saw her accept his words and she finally replied.

"Shoes."


	8. Home Sweet Home

**YOU LUCKED OUT! I left my conference today a bit early so I could hunt down and purchase an umbrella for the thunderstorms tonight – so that gave me time to post. I'm in Denver folks – take a look at the weather report for us tomorrow. I have to be dressed up to do a presentation and my hotel is about 4 blocks from the convention center – it's gonna be fun – NOT!**

**Hope you like our continuation of the favorite couple.**

**Since I'm in for really bad weather, perhaps you could help my mood by leaving a review?**

**~mags**

Chapter 7

October 16, 2003

Shreveport, LA

"You'll want to say goodbye to Jason now."

She was confused since she figured that meant Jason was staying and she started arguing immediately. "You're keeping him? I'm sorry I was not the perfect, sl … slave when you arrived." She stuttered out. "I had an excuse. Please Master, take me instead. He's gonna be a daddy. You can hypnotize him to forget this whole thing. I'll keep my word and stay. I'll learn."

Eric tried to interrupt her rant to explain, but she kept going on about how Jason needed to be let out and how she would behave. Finally, he bellowed out her name and she stopped mid-sentence to look up. Just as soon as she met his eyes, she lowered them, trying to prove she could learn. _'At least she shut up_.' "Miss Stackhouse. Thank you for your silence. I was trying to explain while you continued on your tirade. Jason IS being released, that's why you should say goodbye. Pam will be back for him shortly. We will be glamouring him, that's what we call it by the way, not hypnosis or hocus pocus."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh. Perhaps in the future you could give me a minute to explain things before you start on a tirade."

"Yes, Master."

"Sookie, I don't expect you to call me Master. In fact, I don't want you to call me Master actually unless we are in the company of vampire, ah, management. I will explain more of that later." He looked at his watch, since there were no windows to gage the time. "Hurry saying your goodbyes; we need to get out of here quickly."

"Out of here? I thought you were keeping me? What about Dawn?"

"I am keeping you …. do you want to stay in a cell? I can't be here to protect you all hours of the day, so I'm taking you somewhere else. As for Dawn? She is currently at home; the incident has been glamoured from her."

"What's this other place you're taking me?"

"Sookie, you're taking time away from your goodbye with Jason by asking questions that don't matter. The choice of where we are going is not yours, it's mine."

Realizing he was right, she did have no say, she turned to her brother. "Jason." Was all she got out before she wrapped her arms around him and started sobbing.

"Sookie, I'll find a way, I swear."

"No Jase, even if you remember something, don't risk it. Go, raise that baby and take care of Gran. If it's a girl, you can call her Sookie."

He let out a sob at her request. "I love ya Sook. Remember what we talked about." He whispered the last part. "You promised to behave. If the other is gonna happen, don fight it." He added by thinking, "It won't hurt so much."

Eric had turned away from the siblings, giving them the perception that they had privacy, but he could hear everything. When he heard what Jason whispered, he realized he would need to watch the security tapes once he was in his bedchamber to confirm what they had discussed. It sounded like they thought he was planning to rape Sookie. '_Gods, this is going to be an uphill battle with her._' Knowing he had to get to his house he stepped in to break up the farewell. "Sookie, it really is time to go. Come."

Jason practically pushed her to Eric. Not because he wanted her to go, but he didn't want Eric to need to ask twice, a lesson he learned the hard way. "Go Sookie. Be safe."

Pam called Thalia, a vampire in Eric's retinue to assist with the staging of the accident. After collecting Sookie's wallet and shirt she left the warehouse to find a horrific piece of metal in the shape of a car in the parking area. Intent on refusing to complete her task, she spun around to go back into the warehouse but she was met with a wall of vampire; Eric had followed her out the door with Sookie standing submissively behind him. Having seen Sookie's car himself, he knew Pam would try anything to get out of driving it. "Get Jason and go!" He ordered.

"But Eric." She whined.

"GO. I mean it Pam. You have only about three hours before you must return to your resting place. GET. THIS. DONE. Here is Thalia now. AND NO, you will not order her to drive Sookie's car; that is your job."

She huffed, but walked to start putting props into Sookie's car.

'_Now to bring home my new girlfriend_.' Eric smirked as he took hold of Sookie's hand. She continued to cry on the way out of the warehouse, but Eric chose to ignore her and just headed to his car. Once they were both inside, he reached into his pocket and handed her a handkerchief. Shocked, Sookie accepted it and cleaned her face. "Thank you." She whispered. "You're not exactly acting like I thought based on Jason's descriptions."

"Well, Jason was a prisoner. I admit that I only saw him when I was drinking his blood; I normally wouldn't visit a prisoner. In fact, I normally wouldn't invest in training a prisoner to be a slave, but it was my hope that he would eventually leave the warehouse and remain as my slave without the need for incarceration."

"You were planning to keep him forever, weren't you?"

"Yes."

"At least you're honest." She whispered under her breath.

"I might not tell you everything Sookie, but I won't lie to you. So be careful what you ask because you might not like the answers."

Keeping her eyes down to avoid Eric's gaze, Sookie reached out and tried to read Eric. The night so far had been too trying for her and she had not yet explored the 'nothingness' she got from his head. Now that she was checking his brain out, she confirmed that she heard nothing and in fact, felt something like a bubble or void. '_I guess their brains only operate on magic and not actual brainwaves. Oh well, at least I'll have some peace for my brain even if my body is being repeatedly raped_.' Mentally changing the subject to prevent a panic, she spent some time thinking about the man sitting next to her. She had to admit, he was gorgeous – tall, very tall like over 6 feet, broad shoulders, long blond hair – her color actually. Too bad she was a prisoner and he was an asshole jailor, otherwise she'd be attracted to him. Well, if she admitted it, she was attracted by his looks, but not to HIM.

They had been driving only for a short while when they approached the gated community that she and Dawn found just a few nights ago. Sookie was surprised they were entering a neighborhood; a neighborhood of mansions on huge lots, but still a neighborhood. Eric drove to the end of the large cul de sac and started up the long drive to the house. It looked like a very large but normal house; nothing that screamed 'vampire'. Eric pulled into the garage and ran around to open the door for Sookie, startling her. Even though he offered it, she didn't take his hand. Rather, she struggled to climb out of the Corvette since she was so tired. Thankfully, she was in jeans, not a dress. Eric suggested that they go around the walkway and use the front door so he could give her a full tour.

Sookie was very puzzled. '_Why is he treating me like a guest here? I'm his prisoner, I traded myself for Jason. I don't understand anything, but I am too damn tired to ask._' She simply nodded and followed him up the expensive stone paver walk. Once inside, Sookie was surprised to see a beautiful woman standing there, waiting to greet them both. "Sookie, this it Potts; she has some breakfast for you and will get you comfortable in your room for the day."

"Hello Mrs. Potts." Sookie said and held out her hand to shake hers. She was surprised by the woman's head when she took her hand. '_Wow, it's different than the vampire void, but not voices. I actually get that she is curious, but no words at all_.' Potts giggled at being called Mrs. Potts and Sookie looked at her in question.

"I'm sorry Sookie, my name is actually Cara, but Eric calls me Potts as a nickname. You can call me either."

'_The twilight zone, I'm positive I'm in the twilight zone now. Eric, the bastard vampire standing here who wanted to keep Jason and who took me in his stead, nicknamed this woman? Wait, oh maybe they are a couple. Maybe he won't be raping me. But wait, maybe they do threesomes, Oh Jesus, how am I ever going to survive this?'_

Sookie's thoughts continued to spiral out of control while Potts and Eric watched. First the color started to drain from her face, then her breathing became erratic, and a few seconds later when she seemed to become too unsteady to stand Eric grabbed her and ran her to a guestroom. After placing her on the bed he realized she had passed out somewhere between the foyer and the bedroom. Potts was a few moments behind him with a wet cloth and some juice. "Eric, what's going on?"

"She fainted. From what I gathered, she has been up since early yesterday and has had a very trying day and night."

"She appeared a bit overwhelmed when you both walked in. It also looks like she's been hurt." She pondered her next question, unsure if he would lash out, but she decided to risk it. "Eric, what is she doing here? What's going on?"

"She traded her freedom for Jason's. It's a long story, but Jason's girlfriend is expecting a baby."

"And you let her trade places? I don't understand. Why is she here in your house then? I cooked for Jason, but he's never been to your house."

Rarely at a loss for words, Eric paused, trying to figure out how he could possibly explain. "Just know that she is here willingly. We'll talk tomorrow, the sun will rise soon and I need to be sure she'll be fine during the day. I'm going to give her some blood to wake her and heal her injuries. Can you bring up some food?"

"Certainly."

Once Potts left, he sat on the bed and propped Sookie to a semi-sitting position on his lap so he would not choke her with the blood. After his blood was in her, he knew she would wake quickly and react badly to being in his lap, so he enjoyed her in his arms for a moment inhaling her scent and caressing her soft skin, before he used his fang to prick his finger and feed her his blood. Pressing on the end of the finger ensured that a small pool of blood was in her mouth before he stroked her neck to induce swallowing. It had been many years since he gave anyone his blood. Actually, his slave Theresa was the last time, and he didn't recall it giving him such pleasure. After her first swallow, she grew a bit stronger allowing her mouth to start sucking on his finger and he felt himself grow hard. '_Shit, I'm going to need to take care of that problem on my own. She'll be awake in a few seconds and I'm pretty sure she won't want to help me out._' As he expected, she awoke and immediately pulled away from his arms, actually moving to the farther corner of the bed. "Wh… What happened?"

"You passed out. I just revived you and Potts will be back with some food. Sookie, you need to eat and sleep. We will talk more tonight about our rel….our circumstances." He caught himself from saying relationship, believing the word would just cause an emotional outburst that Sookie didn't have the energy for. He also didn't have the time to calm her down again. '_Pam would tease me mercilessly if she knew I was fretting about Sookie's emotional state; but I'm running out of time for Godric. If Sookie is the one, we need to move past my errors today quickly_.' He leaned across the bed to reach for her, only to see her cower further away. "Sookie, I'm not going to hurt you, I just wanted to bring you closer for some juice."

"I don't trust you." When she glanced at Eric and saw him clench his jaw at her comment, she added, "I'm sorry….Master."

"Sookie, I thought I already explained that you will call me Eric."

"But you just got angry and Jason told me some of the things for which I would be punished, but he didn't exactly cover what to do after I faint and we're sitting in the same bed."

Eric actually rubbed his face as if tired, then looked at Sookie. Again, she was looking down and he could smell her fear. Instead of reaching for Sookie to bring her to the juice, he grabbed the juice and handed it to her. "You should drink."

Not having had anything to eat or drink for hours, she thanked him and gulped the entire glass down and commented about how long it had been since she had anything to drink.

"What do you mean Sookie?"

"I left to meet Dawn yesterday to rescue Jason and that was the last time I had anything."

'_Fucking Pam, a drink isn't a big deal, but I gave her an order. NOW I need to check to see if she handled the car crash and glamour correctly._' Potts returned to the bedroom with the breakfast tray so he used the interruption to call Pam, saying he would be back in a few minutes. Exiting was tricky since he had a raging hard on from feeding Sookie his blood, but he carefully maneuvered his body to hide it.

"Master." Pam answered her phone.

"Are you finished?"

"Yes, we are almost to the safe house in Monroe."

"Tell me the details.

"We wrapped the car around a tree on a deserted road outside Bon Temps. I threw Jason into the windshield and he landed clear of the car. We've added evidence of Jason and Sookie's incarceration at the drug dealer's house."

"What of the drug dealers?"

"Thalia glamoured them to leave the area and not return. They had an urge to take up residence in Nevada; we also included some information making it look like they were headed there to drive the search for Sookie out of the immediate area. Thalia called 911 just as I was leaving and she'll serve as a witness to the accident. From the glamour Jason will recall bits and pieces of his past few weeks only, but he's been glamoured to identify them as his captors due to his loan, and that he escaped to try to help Sookie. I already have a plan in place to update the glamour as needed to prevent him from trying to find her beyond what the police will do. You don't plan on killing him, right?

"No, Sookie's trade is still a life for a life; you know nobody cares about the human names, just as long as a human was punished. As for the staging: well done. At least you followed that order."

"Of course."

"You know, Sookie was extremely thirsty when we arrived at the house. She even fainted."

"Oh for fuck's sake Eric. I was not going to serve your prisoners drinks."

Eric seethed, "Det var en order Pamela. Vi kommer att diskutera det vidare ikväll." (It was an order Pamela. We WILL discuss it further tonight.)

"Yes Master." She answered dutifully and they ended the call. '_He's already testy with having this woman as a possibility, she better comply soon so we can get over this love shit and save Godric.'_

The discussion with Pam and his anger had at least caused his erection to go away so he could safely return to the bedroom without scaring Sookie. He could hear laughter from Sookie's bedroom so he ended his call with Pam to rejoin the women. He walked in with a small smile, enjoying the sound of the laughter. As soon as he entered the room, Sookie looked up, stopped her laughter and replaced her smile with a frown. In response, Eric steeled his face knowing he was the cause of her frown and realized he could change nothing in the next few minutes. "Are you feeling better now that you're eating?"

She dropped her head and replied, "Yes. Potts' cooking must be magic because I feel really good."

'_Honesty is the way to go I guess_.' He took an unnecessary breath and explained. "Sookie, I have no doubt that Potts is an excellent cook, but it's not just her food that is making you feel so good."

"Oh, well, what then?"

"When you collapsed, I gave you some of my blood."

Forgetting everything Jason taught her about respect, forgetting her promise to behave she screeched out at Eric. "YOU DID WHAT?!"

"I gave you my blood. It was necessary to heal your wounds and rouse you."

Sookie got up from the bed and moved toward Eric her hands on her hips. "I thought I tastes something funny. I told you before I didn't want your blood. What gives you the right to make such a decision for me? I would've woken soon enough, you just took advantage of the situation while I was unconscious you high handed prick!"

Inwardly, Eric pumped his fists. _'There's the spitfire I met last night. Jason taught her a few rules, but altering her underlying personality in a night – no way. This is much better. I'll push a few buttons since she's forgotten about being afraid_.' Glaring down at Sookie, he informed her. "What gives me the right? You are in my house Sookie. You live here under my rules. I decided you needed to heal, I healed you."

"What are you my father now? Am I supposed to thank you for healing me?"

"Apparently I am a high handed prick. I'm just trying to live up to my name. As far as thanking me, yes, that would be nice." He crossed his arms over his chest and stood expectantly.

"Fuck you. I'm not thanking you for something I told you not to do."

Eric's erection returned from watching Sookie challenge him, but he could not change his position. He hoped she was so pissed at him, she wouldn't notice the growing bulge in his pants. He pressed on, enjoying the back and forth way too much. "You don't TELL ME anything Sookie. Best get that through your head right now."

"Or what? You'll beat me with a belt? You'll chain me to a wall? You'll rape me?"

That retort stopped Eric cold. Hearing her fears blatantly listed made him realize the long road he had. Arguing with her, though fun was not going to help. Well, he hoped at least she could see that she would not be punished, so maybe it would help a little. But the rape comment, that galled him. He had never ever raped a woman. In fact, as much as the Vikings had such a reputation, it was not something his clan ever condoned and he himself had put men to death who engaged in such behavior. After considering her words for a moment, Eric did something he rarely, if ever did: he backed down, both with his words and with his posture. "Sookie, you will soon learn that your place here is very different than what happened with your brother."

"Well, forgive me if that's all the background I have on you. I guess seeing is believing or perhaps, not being hurt will be believing."

"Yes, I supposed time is what is needed." He quickly looked at the window, "and speaking of time, I must get to my bedchamber. Sunset will be about 6:30 tonight, so I will see you then." He turned to Potts who was watching Sookie and Eric with unhidden amusement and shock. "I expect Sookie will be comfortable for the day?"

"Yes Eric. We will be fine."

"Good day then ladies."

Sookie fell back on the bed after he left, her spike in energy gone and the events of the past 24 hours suddenly crashing into her. "Fuck. I've got to watch my mouth. He's gonna kill me if he's like Jason said."

Not wanting to overstep her role, but at the same time, wanting to help Sookie relax she commented on Sookie's new life. "Sookie, Eric can be just like your brother said. He can be a monster, but he can be more than that as well." Sookie looked at her curiously so she continued. "I have lived here for many years and I have seen the monster you fear, I have also seen the man. You'll need to see and accept this yourself, so I won't try to convince you with my words, I just think you can relax a bit while you both get to know each other."

"I don't want to get to know him; he's an asshole that just takes whatever he wants without regard to anyone but himself. I just want to find some way to survive being his captive until he tires of me, or until I die of old age."

"How old are you Sookie?"

"Twenty-four."

"That's a pretty depressing outlook for someone so young."

"I made a decision for my brother and his unborn child. I can deal with whatever else comes along as long as I remember why I am here."

"Suit yourself; I won't try to change your mind about getting to know him."

"Why would you even want me to get to know him? Do you have some kind of open arrangement?"

Potts laughed out loud. "Oh Sookie, do you think Eric and I are a couple?" When Sookie nodded, Potts clarified. "We are certainly NOT a couple, but the reason I am here is a story for another time. For now, you've had a long day, so I'll leave you to rest."

When Potts stood to leave, Sookie thought of something. "How do you know I won't escape during the day?"

"I was informed you were here willingly. Are you now planning to escape?"

"I am here willingly, but I'm surprised you would trust my honor."

"Says the woman who gave herself to a vampire so her idiot brother could be with his child…I'm pretty sure you've demonstrated honor."

Sookie nodded as Potts walked out the door; then she listened to hear a lock being engaged or something that would show she was being kept in the room. When she heard nothing, she got up and tried the door. To her surprise, it opened. '_They trust me? It has to be a trap, though nobody said I had to STAY in this room. I'll walk around later, right now; I really do want to sleep_.'

Potts returned to the kitchen to clean the breakfast dishes, giggling when she heard Sookie get up to try the door. The house phone rang, and she knew it was Eric, nobody ever called the landline. She didn't bother with pleasantries since he never did either. "You heard the conversation?"

"I did."

"She is a curious creature, and it's hard to believe she is related to Jason, besides the good looks."

"Did she try the door after you left, is that what I heard?"

"Yes, she was quite surprised at your trust."

"Well, little does she know if she ran for it, the Were guards would bring her back. No reason to tell her that, though."

"For the moment, I don't know that you should keep that to her for long."

He ignored her comment about the guards. "Still, I actually think I could trust her, she just seems so … "

He struggled for the word and Potts offered: "Honorable?"

"Yes, something I rarely witness in humans ….. I will see you when I rise tonight, Potts."

Eric logged into his warehouse security camera feed. He wanted to see Sookie's arrival and hear the conversation between Sookie and Jason. Starting with the one from earlier in the day, before he arrived he settled in and watched. Sookie was a force to be reckoned with. He chuckled at her dumb blond act, and the fact that she was obviously flaunting her cleavage. Once Dawn was securing the guard, he noticed Sookie just standing there with her eyes closed. '_What is that all about_.' He wondered. He sped up to seeing Jason and Sookie together, Sookie's return for the key and Dawn blowing everything by driving up too soon. '_They may have actually gotten Jason out if the guard they took down had the key. That's something to think about in the future. That two women could find my warehouse jail AND possibly take out two guards is extremely concerning. My head of security will hear about this_.' The time she and Jason spent in the cell before he arrived was unremarkable. He did notice Jason telling her to keep quiet about how she found him; then he pointed to his head, not his mouth – that either meant something or he truly was just that stupid.

He moved the recording forward to Jason and Sookie's discussion on rules and punishment. He noted a few things including Sookie's independent streak. When Sookie mentioned something about nobody ever seeing her naked except family, he literally paused, backed up and played it again. '_How could a twenty four year old be THAT innocent?_' Endlessly entertaining, Jason caused Eric to chuckle when the recording showed his reaction to Sookie's question about whether Eric had ever attempted to have sex with him. '_You're a pretty boy Jason, but only my maker and I share that intimacy_.' Again, he was struck by Sookie's innocence when she remarked that she did not recognize the very large and hard bulge in his pants as an erection. '_What the fuck. Was she grotesque until recently? Surely the men of Bon Temps have noticed her by now._'

The last part of the discussion infuriated him. Nobody had brought them food during the day? Yes, Eric had starved prisoners before, but that happened when he ordered it, not because some Weres were in a snit because a woman bested one of their own. His Were guards had made several mistakes during the past 24 hours, and there would be hell to pay. The worst mistake was onscreen at the moment and he grew angrier and angrier as he watched the two guards attempt to rape his Sookie. Scenarios with different types of torture went through his mind as he watched the video. He was smirking at his plans when he suddenly stopped short. '_My Sookie? Why do I even care?...Wait, did I just admit that I care? I never cared about Theresa or Kathleen, what the fuck is going on_?'

He stopped to think for a few more minutes then moved to his bed. His thoughts were of how to start building his relationship with her and he realized he was fucked if she is already occupying his thoughts this much.


	9. Impossible!

**Back from Denver and using my first break today to post for you guys. You can thank me by…**

**Anyone?...**

**Writing a review! Please!**

**Hope you enjoy our time at home with Eric and Sookie, us being flies on the wall and all… Caution, Sookie may be yelling AND cursing in this chapter (I should probably put that in front of many, shouldn't I?)**

**I don't own anything here. I usually credit C. Harris and A. Ball – but I need to add a new credit from the fanfic world: Ericizmine – I took (stole? borrowed?) some of her concepts – like Sookie having a brain – for my story.**

Chapter 8

October 16, 2003

Shreveport, LA

Sookie woke, sat up with a start, and looked around for a moment before she remembered the day before. As she recalled her break-in, her trade for Jason, nearly being raped and fainting, she started to cry. '_I lost everything, my Gran, my brother, my freedom_.' The more she thought about what happened, the more she cried uncontrollably. The sadness actually created pain in her chest. Normally she didn't wallow as she was doing, but with everything that happened, she felt like she deserved it. She finally started to calm after a while and decided that a shower would really help. When she walked into her ensuite bath, she noticed someone had placed a change of clothes out for her and the shower and vanity were stocked with bath and beauty products. '_I guess this is the definition of a gilded cage._'

Eric woke earlier than his usual time, about 3:30 and the sun would not set for almost another two and a half hours. He stayed in bed as he tried to understand how he was up almost a full 30 to 60 minutes earlier than his usual time and then he felt it: Pain, real pain in his chest accompanied by a deep sorrow. Realization hit and he knew it was Sookie's pain. Not pain like she had been wounded, but pain from her sadness. He stilled himself and he could hear loud sobs from two floors above him. '_Jason warned me she's a crier. FUCK, I hate crying. This isn't worth it. I'm just going to cut her loose, maybe she'll help with the cover story saying she escaped from the drug dealers. I'll need to recapture Jason a little later – but I won't spend my life soothing her every night_.' His decision made, he rose, showered and started on some work. Since it was so early, he had quite a bit of time before he could go upstairs. He monitored Sookie's mood, and was able to register that she had gone to the kitchen to eat. _'If I'm sending her back, no reason for me to tell her that I can monitor because she's had my blood, it'll only piss her off._' His mobile number rang; Godric was calling. "Master." He answered.

"My child. I trust all is well in your area?"

"Yes, and you?"

"No problems in Dallas. Theresa sends her regards ….. but that is not why I am calling. Eric, I spoke to Cara early this morning. It seems you have a guest?"

"Yes, her name is Sookie Stackhouse."

"But she is a prisoner?"

"It's a long story."

"Yes, well, I felt you rise early and given that you have about two hours before sunset, it would seem we have the time for you to tell the story."

Eric launched into the story of capturing Jason Stackhouse, having his sister come to his rescue, the trade that was proposed, and the original plans Eric had for releasing Jason and dating Sookie. Godric was fascinated to hear about Sookie's resistance to glamour and the new plan that Eric needed to create on the fly. He waited until Eric completed his tale and then asked several questions that had occurred to him. Eric held nothing back; the maker/child bond would simply not permit him to be anything but open and honest with Godric, so he worried while he waited to hear Godric's reaction.

"My child, you have certainly had a very interesting 24 hours. You say that two of your Weres attempted to rape her?"

"They did and they are in a cell awaiting my punishment."

"I see, and you normally punish your Weres for attacking a prisoner?"

"I don't usually have women or even many humans in my cells to be honest. I did recently have Jason's girlfriend, the one who killed the vampire, and the Were's did have some fun with her during the day."

"Yet, you are punishing them for attempting to hurt Sookie?"

"Yes."

"You want to protect her?"

Cursing that he could not lie he had to respond, "Yes."

"You also pointed out your concern for her emotional state."

"Yes, and that is why I have decided to let her go. I just can't spend my nights providing comfort to a crying pet."

"Have you considered that you are just afraid of the feelings she has evoked in you? Perhaps you are lying to yourself as to the reasons for letting her go? Maybe YOU do not want to explore why you care for a human?"

"I don't care for …." He had to stop himself from even finishing his thoughts and he quickly confirmed Godric's conclusions. "You are right, father. I cannot explain it, but I care. I think it's because you turned me into a pansy with all this love shit."

Godric's chuckled while his heart soared at his son's words. FINALLY, after almost 25 years, well really after 1000 years, his son cared about someone. He pushed down his feelings of complete joy and satisfaction, knowing those would just cause Eric to become defensive or angry, and he simply replied. "Eric, you may not have started with Sookie under the best circumstances, but I feel it's important for you to see this through. If for no other reason than the difficulty you will have with the lack of a prisoner for the vampire draining. I will plan to meet up with both of you in a few months. In the meantime, I will check-in with you weekly to see how your Sookie is reacting to your charms."

"I don't want to see it through."

"It's not your choice; I just made it FOR you. Oh and Eric?"

"Yes Godric."

"She is NOT a pet. She's your companion, I expect her to be treated accordingly."

He sighed but responded, "Very well Godric. I will speak with you soon."

OOOoooOOOooo

Upstairs, Sookie was cleaning up from a late lunch with Potts. "So you decided to call me Potts?"

"Yes, well, my best friend in Bon Temps is named Tara, and I thought it would be easier for me to not call you something to close to her name. I'm wondering now that I look around the kitchen, if this mess has something to do with your nickname."

"You got that right. It has more to do with the number of pots I use."

"That makes sense. I was sure your nickname didn't have anything to do with you being a daemon. If so, you'd be like lucy for Lucifer or beezy for Beelzebub."

"You think you're pretty funny, dontcha?"

"Oh come on, I'm sure you've heard those before."

"Maybe." She answered but moved to another topic. "So what types of foods do you like? We can make a list."

"I'm not so picky. How about you?"

"I eat anything."

"Maybe we can trade off cooking, and we can just each make our favorites and family recipes and such."

"That's a good idea. When I cook, you clean and visa-versa."

"Well, um, I suggest that we do the whole thing on our own when it's our turn."

Potts gave her a strange look and Sookie clarified. "Potts, you told me how you got your nickname, and I just helped you clean a huge mess. I clean while I cook; I just don't think it's fair for me to clean your messes."

Potts snickered, "I'm hurt Sookie. I would never be unfair."

"No, you'd just be messy and oblivious." They both laughed for a moment. After they calmed down, Sookie glanced out the window and noticed the sun was very close to setting. She was hoping Potts stayed around when Eric rose, but she was afraid that wasn't the case. "What do you do at night?"

"I've been taking some night classes, 3 nights a week. I do have a class tonight."

"Oh."

"Sookie, he's not going to hurt you."

"It's not just that, it's, I mean, I just got up, it's not like I'm going to bed anytime soon and I have no idea what I'll do at night."

"Well, our paths will likely only cross during the afternoon. I guard the house during the day for Eric while he rests, and my evenings are my own. I'm not sure if you'll be going to Fangtasia with Eric or not." When she could see Sookie's eyes go wide, she tried another approach. "Sookie, you need to talk to him. You need to get an understanding of your place in his house and in his life."

"I don't want to have anything to do with his life." She spat out, and just in time for Eric to come into the kitchen.

'_Lovely, a perfect way to start our second evening together_.' Even though he was not happy with Sookie's moods, he tried to form a pleasant face and greeted the women. "Potts, Sookie, how are you ladies this evening."

"Good Eric. I've got some studying to do for class, I'll see you later."

"Sure."

"Sookie, how are you?"

"Fine." She gritted out.

"I'm not going into Fangtasia tonight. I thought it would be best for us to talk."

"Whatever you feel is best." She replied and sat at the kitchen table, hands folded on her lap, back straight, and her eyes looking down.

"The den is more comfortable."

Sookie huffed, stood up then stomped her way to the den. Eric smiled. '_So much better than crying_.'

"Sookie, we really didn't have time to talk about much last night. Let me first explain what happens when you take a vampire's blood."

"You mean when I am force-fed a vampire's blood?" She snapped while she glared at him.

Internally he repeated his new mantra from Pam. '_Hold my temper, keep calm, hold my temper_.' It was working for the moment because he really wanted to fight back. "Yes, well regardless of how it's ingested, the side-effects are the same."

"SIDE EFFECTS?"

"Yes, well, for starters, I can track you. My body is able to locate its own blood."

"Huh, so all Potts' pretty words about trusting me meant nothing. Nice. What else can your blood do?"

"I can sense your feelings. For example, your sadness this afternoon actually roused me from my daydeath. If you have more of my blood, normally, I would be able to control you. But since I can't glamour you, I have no idea if that would happen or not."

"Tough shit about my waking you. So you have low-jack on me and I get no privacy from my own fucking feelings. Anything else?"

"ARE YOU GOING TO LET HER TALK TO YOU LIKE THAT?"

Both Sookie and Eric had been so wrapped up in their discussion that neither heard Pam enter the house. Sookie gasped in shock at the sudden yelling, since she thought they were alone. Eric glared then told her to wait for him in his office. When Pam resisted, he grew even angrier and warned her, "Pamela, you are already in enough trouble, do not add to my anger."

When she walked away, Sookie turned to Eric and asked. "How is it that you seem to have some kind of power over her? Is it because you are Sheriff? Can all vampires just walk into your home?"

Talking about his relationship with Pam was not what he wanted to discuss with Sookie, but she asked him something, she looked at him while doing it, and there was no bite or sarcasm in her voice. He believed this was good progress so he responded.

"Pam is my vampire child and all makers can control their children."

"So you murdered her?"

"Sookie, don't speak of things you don't understand. I won't tolerate such words about my relationship with Pam. You would do well to remember that." Sookie absorbed his words and the fierce look on his face; then nodded in understanding. "As for my role as Sheriff, I can make demands and punish vampires in this area. Pam disobeyed me as her maker, not as her Sheriff, and I need to deal with that. And you don't need to worry; most vampires don't even know where I live, so we won't have any just walking in."

"What did Pam do, what do you mean you need to deal with it?"

"I will explain later, she can hear us, so I don't want her knowing her fate before I go in there." He looked at Sookie for a moment trying to discern her feelings. "Why do you feel pity? I presume for Pam. You don't even know her."

"Nobody deserves one of your punishments."

"You have no idea what I'm going to do. You have never experienced one of my punishments. You have no right to make such a statement. How I deal with MY CHILD is none of your concern."

"YOU asked ME why I feel pity, I answered. I wasn't planning to tell you anything about my feelings you ass! You told me before to be careful what I asked if I don't want to hear the answer; I guess you should do the same."

He glared at Sookie for a few moments but she did not back down. Finally he excused himself and left to see to Pam in the study but stopped when he heard Sookie yell wait. "Yes, Sookie."

"Can I go outside or something, I don't want to hear you, you know I can't stand the idea of anyone being hurt. Please."

With those words, Eric questioned again, the wisdom of trying to build anything with Sookie. If she was so tenderhearted, how would she ever fit into the supernatural world? He resigned himself to discuss it again with Godric. That he already admitted to caring for her just could not be enough of a reason to keep trying for a relationship. "Sookie, it won't be anything that will bother you. Likely it will amuse you, so why don't you join me. Pam's punishment has to do with you, so it's only right that you be there."

"ME?"

"Come, she needs to get to Fangtasia soon, so I need to get this done."

Reluctantly, Sookie stood and followed Eric to his office. She vowed to herself that if he hurt Pam in front of her, she would stake him. Not wanting to waste precious strategy time, she used the walk to the office to scan her surroundings for anything that could be used as a stake. The coffee table legs were way too sturdy for her to break off from the table and even if she could break one off, she was afraid that without an actual point on the end, she would never be able to drive the leg through is goddamn chest. The picture frames were dismissed since they looked too heavy for her to remove from the wall. As they passed through the kitchen she saw it: A spurdle in the utensil jar on the counter. She took a moment to wonder why Eric would even allow Potts to keep something so dangerous to him right there on the counter but guessed that if anyone broke into his house and made it that far; they likely had packed their own weapon anyway.

Eric's chuckling took her from her thoughts. "Sookie, I can't even imagine what you have been thinking to give off the range of emotions you've had since we left the den. Doubt, determination, frustration, curiosity, something I would say was an 'aha' moment, curiosity again… you are going to be so much fun Sookie."

She deadpanned, "I'm glad you are so entertained, truly, my night is complete."

He leered at her. "But Sookie, our night has only just started, it's way too early for you to feel complete."

"Just get to the office you jerk."

He laughed out loud at his little spitfire, wondering how far she would take the freedom he gave her to speak openly. Other humans would have been severely punished or even killed by now. "Here we are." He gestured for Sookie to enter first.

When Eric entered, Pam stood and greeted him. "Master."

"Pamela, please tell Sookie why you are being punished."

"Eric, inte detta fortfarande?" (Eric, not this still?)

"Ja Pamela, jag sa ju igår att du skulle bli straffad för olydnad mig." (Yes Pamela, I told you last night you would be punished for disobeying me.)

"För en människa, och nu framför en människa?" (For a human, and now IN FRONT of a human?)

"Yes, in front of the human that you did not serve last night when I had ordered it. Now tell her."

Pam turned to Sookie and through gritted teeth she informed her that she was being punished for not delivering drinks to her and Jason the night before.

Sookie was aghast. "That's it? She didn't get me a drink? That's what all this is about?"

"It's not the drink Sookie; it was the dismissal of an order." He turned to Pam. "Pamela, for the next month, when you are not in your Fangtasia outfits, you will wear only clothing from Wal-Mart. I will check the tags, so don't even try to sneak anything else in. And to be clear, this includes underthings."

"But I will break out in a rash Eric! I am allergic to cheap clothing." Pam glared when Sookie laughed out loud.

Eric had been ready to respond to Pam when Sookie stepped in. "What. A. Snob! Do you even hear yourself?"

"Stay out of this human."

"I don't know Pam; I may be the only one who can help you with shopping at Wal-Mart. You might want to be nice to me."

"I don't need your help because I'm not doing this." She turned to Eric." "I'm sorry I didn't give your blood bags a drink, but this punishment does not fit the crime."

Sookie winced at the reference to being a blood bag, but remained silent since Eric's look had turned murderous. "Enough Pamela. Stop complaining or I will make it two months. As it is, I have now decided you will stay here for the month so I can monitor the clothing."

Pam's eyes grew wide and she replied, "You just need to get laid. You're grumpy from blue balls. Don't take it out on me. Din frustration över denna Sookie röran gör dig oberäkneligt. Du har att få ett grepp Eric." (Your frustration over this Sookie mess is making you erratic. You've got to get a grip Eric).

"Pamela, vill du att jag ska lägga till mer till detta straff? Sookie vill inte se dig sårad, men jag kommer att ta dig någonstans och göra just det om det behövs." (Do you want me to add more to this punishment? Sookie does not want to see you hurt, but I will take you somewhere and do just that if needed.)

Pam had not been punished by Eric in such a way since she was a newborn, and then only for severe disobedience. She had no doubts he would do it, and she did not want a physical punishment. Having decided her fate to Wal-Mart clothing, she bowed her head and accepted the punishment. Pam's natural nosiness poked at her to ask further about the comments he made about Sookie being so upset at anyone being hurt, but she refrained for the moment. She had heard the conversation while she waited for them in the den, but really did not understand. To Pam, that kind of empathy was a foreign concept. _'I will explore this later when I return_.' She turned to leave for Fangtasia and Eric stopped her.

"Pam, when you are done at Fangtasia, return here to pick up Sookie. She'll help you pick your Wal-Mart clothes for the month. Oh, pick up your bath and beauty products while you are there. Then you can just return here with Sookie, as there is no need for you to go back to your home to get anything. It'll all come from Wal-Mart." He smiled proudly at himself for creating such a complete punishment. "And Pam, Du måste dölja henne (You will need to disguise her.) She nodded in reply.

Pam's eyes grew wide at the thought of doing the shopping with the blood bag responsible for her punishment, but decided it would be fun to torment Sookie while they were out together. Eric's next words put a stop to that. "Oh and Pamela, Sookie's had my blood. If you upset her while you're out, I'll know it and I'll be adding to the punishment."

She nodded in acknowledgement but cursed in her head, _'FUCK! He's always a step ahead of me.'_

"Well my Sookie, let's continue our discussion while we wait for my next appointment."

"Fine."

"We can just stay here if you like."

"Whatever."

"I need to tell you something right away; something I think will alleviate one of your concerns." THAT got her attention and when he paused; she motioned for him to continue. "Sookie, I know you and your brother discussed that I would want to have sex with you." Sookie stiffened, but remained quiet. "I just want you to realize that while I do want to have sex with you, whether we have sex or not will be YOUR decision."

"If that is true, then my decision is NOT."

He chuckled, "forever is a long time Sookie, and while I won't force you to have sex with me, I will also not permit you to have sex with anyone else either."

She mumbled under her breath, "I've gone this long without it anyway."

He'd heard he perfectly, but still asked, "What was that?"

"Nothing. Just don't plan on sex with me in your future."

"I thought you would be more relieved to hear this."

"You mean I should be on my knees thanking you for not raping me? For not allowing me to be raped by your guards like they did to Amy?"

"How did you know the guards raped Amy?"

'_SHIT, I got that from the Jason's mind. Did Jason ever say it out loud? I don't think so. Keep your mouth shut Sookie._' She steeled her features, as she long ago learned to do from being a mind reader and said, "Just a guess since the guards seemed so surprised that you were mad at them for attacking me."

"Your guesses and deductions are quite impressive considering I've spent time with your brother."

Almost ready to start a chat about her brother, Sookie reeled herself in, she really didn't want to entertain a conversation with Eric. "Is there anything else business related we needed to discuss?"

Eric suspected she was hiding something. Her response took a few seconds and she panicked a bit. He wanted to press the issue, but one thing they had was time, so he moved onto the next topic. "Yes, I need to discuss what you learned from Jason about how to behave. Everything Jason told you was correct, I do expect to be called Master; I do expect respect – meaning no talking back." She went to interrupt him but he cut her off. "Let me finish, I know I probably just confused you." She nodded. "I expect those behaviors when we are in the company of other vampires. When we are at home, or if we were out shopping, like we'll do in a bit, then I am just Eric. Though you must not talk back to me whenever we are outside the house, or in front of anyone other than Pam and Potts. You can politely express an opinion, but I don't want anyone to overhear one of our spats and have it get around that I cannot control you."

"CONTROL ME?"

"Yes Sookie, that's what this is all about – control over a human. Over my human."

"YOUR HUMAN?"

"Calm down and let me explain."

Just as he was about to continue, one of the Were guards called and announced the arrival of Octavia Fant. "I guess we'll continue this later." Eric went to greet her and escorted her to his office. "Sookie, this is Octavia Fant. She is a witch from New Orleans who I hire for wards on occasion. Octavia, this is Sookie Stackhouse."

They exchanged greetings and Octavia launched into business. "So for the ward you requested I need a lock of Sookie's hair."

"Sookie?" He said expectantly.

She huffed and pulled out a hair. "What's a ward?"

Octavia, knowing full well that the ward was being created to KEEP Sookie on the property, turned to Eric to indicate he needed to reply.

"It's a protection ward around the house for you."

"Liar, it doesn't really protect me, it's gonna keep me in, isn't it?"

"Too clever for your own good Sookie. Yes, it's to keep you in."

"So, I will never leave the property?"

"You can, you will just need an escort. Once the ward is in place, it will allow me, Pamela and Potts to take you across."

"Convenient."

He smirked, "Yes, very My Sookie."

"Stop calling me that." She spat out.

He glared at her. He just told her to not talk back in front of others, and here she was doing it again. He knew he would have to punish her some way; Octavia was too well connected in the supernatural world. While he didn't expect she was a gossip, he couldn't take the chance. "Sookie, what did we just discuss about talking back? Go stand in the corner and wait for your punishment." He pointed to the corner behind his desk. When she did not move, he added, "**NOW!**" Sookie stood, her fists and jaw clenched, but she walked to the corner as she was told.

'_How embarrassing. I was never even put in a corner when I was young, though I guess maybe I would have preferred that to Mama's belt treatment. I wonder what the rest of the punishment will be. At least I'm not over his knee in front of this woman. I'm never going to figure out the rules. I will just stop talking to him unless absolutely necessary_.'

Feeling Sookie's embarrassment, he hoped it would be enough punishment for her to learn. He couldn't nor did he want to turn her into a slave like he did with Theresa, but he couldn't allow her to misbehave in public. '_Maybe the shopping trip for her clothes I had planned for the night was premature. I will see how she is after I let her out of the corner_.' As if nothing happened, he started talking with Octavia again. "How long will it take for you to complete the ward?"

Octavia had watched the scene, but kept quiet knowing how the relationship between a claimed human and vampire worked. She was thankful that he did not physically punish her right then. She would never intervene, but she did hate that part of the supe world. Instead, she just kept her professional face on and answered him. "I should be done in about 4 hours. I need quite a bit of set-up time and to help, I have an assistant waiting for me outside. We'll be staying in your hotel as you arranged and can check on the ward tomorrow if that is OK with you?"

"Yes, I will have Potts go out with Sookie tomorrow to check the perimeter with you and your assistant. Though Sookie does not wake until about 3-4 in the afternoon."

He chuckled to himself as he heard Sookie grunt, probably at her displeasure of someone speaking for her or the ward testing, he wasn't sure.

He showed Octavia out and returned to the office. Once seated in his chair he called to Sookie. He wanted her standing in front of him like a naughty school girl so she would continue to feel scolded. "Sookie, do you understand what happened."

"I spoke back and there was someone other than Potts or Pam here."

"Exactly. Octavia is very well connected in the supe world. I can't afford to have anyone think I have gone soft."

"Soup world?"

"Supe – S-U-P-E short for supernatural. We have quite a bit to go over in the next few days." He gestured to the chair in front of his desk she had occupied before. "Have a seat."

Now she was confused, he said to stand in the corner to wait for her punishment, but he was letting her sit? Eric registered the confusion in Sookie and explained. "I won't punish you more severely this time, but Octavia doesn't need to know that."

"Oh, OK, so most of it is appearances."

"Exactly….I wanted to take you shopping for clothes tonight, but now I am concerned that you are not ready."

"I don't need anything from you. If you give me my purse, I can pick up a few necessities at Wal-Mart tonight with Pam."

"I won't have you dressing in Wal-Mart clothing."

"But Pam…"

"Pam is being punished. You will be dressed to reflect my position as Sheriff, not as trailer trash."

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! I don't dress like trailer trash, I dress within my means. I work hard for my money, and most of it goes into household expenses, or rather it went to household expenses. I don't know what my Gran is going to do without my income. She is too old to work, and her Social Security income doesn't cover all the bills. I can only pray that Jason will fill the gap – but now, now…" Sookie's angry rant dissolved into a crying fit at this point. "Now that he's got a baby coming, he won't have any extra. Just another fucking thing I can blame you for. So, take whatever money you were going to spend on my clothes and send it to Gran you jerk! I'll plan to stay in the house so nobody can see that I don't dress to your fucking position."

Her crying ripped at him. He wanted the tears to stop; he wanted to help her calm down but he knew she would reject it. Instead, he turned his concern for her into anger and bellowed out, "IF YOU'RE JUST GOINGT TO CRY, GO DO IT IN YOUR ROOM!"

"Gladly." With that, she ran out of the room and stomped up the stairs, slamming the door to the bedroom when she entered it.

His phone rang: Pam. "What."

"Is this the part where I remind you that you aren't doing so good at keeping your temper?"

He hung up her. "FUCK!" He screamed to his now empty office. '_I should have just gone to Fangtasia for all the progress we made so far tonight. This woman is impossible._'


	10. The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

**I'm loving the reviews – more please! Hope you like how the adventure continues as we spend time with Sookie and Pam. **

**NOTE: I am using Pam's snobbery here, I am not personally trying to make any statements about Wal-mart – so don't take it that way please.**

**Usual disclaimer – I don't own SVM or True Blood characters.**

**~mags**

Chapter 9 - _The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship_

October 16, 2003

Shreveport, LA

"Sookie, are you ready to go shopping?" Pam called from the foyer.

Sookie had forgotten that Pam was coming back to go to Wal-Mart and was surprised to hear her calling. Still, she decided it was better than sitting in her room avoiding Eric until sunrise, so she called down to say she was coming. A quick adjustment to her pony tail and she was ready.

"Ok my precious, let's get this over with. I want to be out of Wal-Mart quickly."

"Do you have my purse Pam?"

"Why would I have your purse?"

"I thought you did something with my car and my purse was in it. I need it so I can pick up some things."

"From Wal-Mart? What do you need?"

"Well, I only have these clothes and the outfit I had on yesterday. I'm gonna get mighty bored in the same outfit every other day."

"I thought you were going shopping with Eric after I left?"

"We didn't go."

"Wait here, I need to speak to Eric."

Upon walking into his office, Eric started talking without waiting for Pam to ask. "I don't want to talk about it Pam. Just buy her what she wants." She looked like she wanted to say something and he just turned and glared. "Don't make me angrier than I already am."

Deciding to be safe, she just spun on her heel and left.

"Sookie, your wallet was part of the accident scene I staged last night. I will get you some clothes to hold you over until you go shopping with Eric."

They had left the house and were walking to the car when Sookie replied. "I'm not going shopping with him. He's an asshole."

"You need to be careful. I realize that he is permitting you to speak to him like that in the house, but you can't be like that in front of other supes."

"Yes, so I've been told. … Listen, can we just get going?"

"Certainly."

To Pam, seeing her maker happy was very important, important enough to take the time to coach Sookie into at least trying with Eric.

"You know, he's really not that bad. In fact, many women find him quite charming."

"I'm sure you feel that way. I really have no reason to see him as anything but the monster who took advantage of my brother cause he was tasty; then took me instead. I lost my family, I lost my friends; I lost my life. I really don't give a fuck if you think he's not that bad. And if other women think he's charming, he should go capture them and keep them in his house. He could probably find plenty that would be happy to be dressed like little dolls and taken off the shelf on some kind of rotation. I'm not one of them."

"You know, Sookie, you appear to be this delicate southern flower, but at the same time you sure are callous."

Sookie snorted, "I don't think anyone's compared me to a flower before."

"A strong one though, tough. It wasn't an insult."

"I didn't take it as such. I think some of the prettiest flowers are tough."

"Oh, like that movie Steel Magnolias?"

"No, I meant literally, like a coneflower or dianthus, but you totally distracted me from the discussion about Eric, thank you."

"Oh, that wasn't my intent, but I'll be quiet on the topic for now since we're at the Wal-Mart."

To be sure she and Sookie wouldn't be recognized, Pam drove to a Wal-Mart outside Shreveport. Then being especially paranoid, she pulled out sunglasses for both her and Sookie.

"So what are you getting Pam?"

"Well, A LOT since Eric is footing the bill and he's making me do this, I want to spend as much as possible."

"Wait, I thought you were buying this stuff?"

Pam caught her mistake right away in saying that Eric was paying and not her. Realizing that she was about to see bitch Sookie again, she tried to soothe her. "I'll pay for your stuff personally as I promised you; Eric will only pay for mine."

Sookie squinted at her in doubt, but since she was a bit desperate for clothes she decided to just go with it. Selecting a cart from the front of the store, she and Pam headed to the ladies section. Pam just started adding one of everything she deemed to be 'decent' in her size to the cart. She stopped when she noticed Sookie hadn't added anything. "Sweet cheeks, I want to be done quickly, start adding clothes."

"I simply don't need as much as you seem to need Pam. I'll grab some sundresses and a few jeans and tees when we make our way over to that section."

"Sookie, you need more than just a few dresses, jeans and tees. The Wal-Mart clothes won't hold up to much washing. In fact, I'm just planning to throw this stuff out after I wear it once."

"You will do no such thing! I'll wash them and if you really don't want to wear them again, I'll donate them."

"And how will you do that if you aren't leaving the house."

"Potts can drop them for me."

"Got an answer for everything?"

"Not really, if I did, I wouldn't be stuck in captivity."

"Hmmm, we're going to buy out this ladies department and then I'm taking you to an all night diner. I think you need something chocolate, I understand it helps with human female moods. So would an orgasm so I'm game for that as well."

"No thanks Pam. You are a beautiful woman, but just not my type."

"Pity."

"Doesn't matter anyway since I've been informed that I can never have sex with anyone but Eric. And since that's not happening….."

"Oh sweetie, you should reconsider. He could definitely cure your attitude."

"Done talking about it Pam."

They continued through the department, chatting only about some of the selections. Sookie tried to convince Pam to purchase a tee shirt that had a graphic of flowers, bees and butterflies on it. When Pam questioned the selection; Sookie said while giggling, "Well it's pink, and I see a ton of pink in your cart."

"Put it back Sookie, I can only hope my eyes will forget I ever saw it."

Before they even made it to the department called lingerie, Sookie needed to grab a second cart. Pam scoffed at the selection and declared that the term lingerie was false advertising insisting that true lingerie NEVER came three-to-a-pack and sealed in plastic. Pam was ready to check out when Sookie reminded her that she needed to buy her bath products and make-up since Eric was not permitting her to return home. Pam replied, "I know Potts dropped off some products for you – good quality products, perhaps you would let me use your shower?"

"Not my house, not my call. If you want to use my shower, you only need to knock to ensure I'm not in there – otherwise, it's all yours, well really Eric's – but if you think he's fine with that then go ahead. I personally would purchase the stuff so he at least doesn't KNOW you aren't planning some way to get out of using cheap products for the month."

"You have good insight; let's go find some bubble bath. Maybe you'll allow me to wash your back?"

"I said you would need to KNOCK FIRST to be sure I'm NOT in the bathroom."

"Prude."

"And planning to stay that way."

"You lie, I saw that little bikini you put in the cart."

"You're more than welcome to see it on me; come on out tomorrow while I'm bathing IN THE SUN."

"You wound me Sookie."

Though she protested all the way through check-out, Pam did manage to convince Sookie to get more than a few items. Now that she knew she could get Sookie to cave in, she was sure she could work her into designer clothes in a few weeks. '_If I get her into La Perla once, she'll never go back to scratchy panties.'_

Pam didn't wait long to start up again about Eric once they were in the car. "Well my little breather, shall we continue our discussion about Eric."

"Not interested."

"Ok, then tell me, why did you look longingly at the book section and not pick anything?"

"Because you left my purse in my car, as in MY money. Remember that part? Besides, there really wasn't anything there to my liking."

"Sookie, you don't need your own money, you will never work again under Eric's care, yo…"

Sookie cut her off before she said anything else. "Care? You say that I am under his care? ... It's captivity Pam. I don't…"

"SOOKIE! Stop. I know you don't want to talk about it but tough. If you were in captivity, you'd be in one of his cells. If you were in captivity, you wouldn't be out enjoying my fabulous company. If you were in captivity, Eric would have let that Were rape you. I know it's only your second day, but you need to start thinking in terms of moving on and changing your outlook. Forever is a pretty long time to keep yourself in that cell you have concocted in your head." Sookie just stared at her, waiting for more, but Pam only added, "That's it, I'm done for now. Let's get you something sweet to eat."

Once seated at the diner, Pam continued her questions. "So you rattled off some flower names earlier, is that an interest of yours?"

"Yeah. My Gran loves gardening; when I was little I would follow her around as she weeded, planted and fussed over her gardens. Gran knew everything from experience. I picked up some books to learn more."

Pam noticed she brightened when she spoke about her Gran and her plants. Books and gardening seem to be of interest, and Pam was giddy to find things Sookie and Eric had in common. Her features remained steady though; she didn't want Sookie to realize how excited she was about what she learned. _'I'm going to have Bobby buy an assortment of books and magazines and leave them at the house. Once I see what she reads, that'll narrow down her interests further. Meanwhile, I'll get Potts to take her outside tomorrow to check out the gardens. I can bring this princess around; then Eric will owe me big.'_

They sat quietly for a few moments while Sookie ate a huge piece of chocolate cake. When Pam noticed that Sookie was only left with her milk, she continued her questions. "You enjoyed that cake. I like that. So many female chewers starve themselves. Not you, you have great curves."

"Glad you like the curves. I've decided to add to them in the hopes it will make me less attractive to Eric. So thanks for the dessert outing Pam. It's just going to speed up the process."

Pam laughed so loudly, the other diner patrons turned to look. She flashed them fangs until they looked away. "Sookie, you are priceless. I'm going to enjoy having you around. Now I know why you bought some of the pants with elastic and your dresses a size up, that's why, right?"

She snickered, "Busted."

Pam was again giddy knowing that Eric actually liked his woman with more flesh. Without realizing it, she was going to make herself even MORE irresistible to Eric but she had no plans to tell Sookie. In fact, she started thinking about the local chocolate and pastry shops she would now frequent so she could 'help' Sookie as much as possible.

Finally feeling it was time to sate her curiosity earlier, Pam delved into the thoughts she'd been having most of the evening. "Sookie, why do you actually talk to me? Why would you have been upset if Eric hurt me?"

"Why wouldn't I talk to you?"

"Don't you hate vampires?"

She gasped. "Not at all. Why would you even think that?"

"I guess I just assumed based on your feelings to Eric."

"And that's what they are – feelings about ERIC, mostly hate, loathing, you know. I don't like some of the rules vampires have with regards to humans, but still that doesn't make me hate all of you. Why would I hate all vampires because of Eric? That would be like hating all Baptists because Portia Bellefleur is nasty to me."

"You are quite a puzzle Sookie Stackhouse. You know, most people would never think like that. I might actually find you tolerable for a human."

"Wow, I'm overcome with emotion from your praise Pam."

"Tell me more about this Portia? Should I visit her and make her pay for treating my favorite breather badly?"

"No Pam, she's just looks down her nose at me. She always thought she was smarter than me, prettier. She's not worth it."

'_You may not think so Sookie, but I'm still going to investigate. I haven't toyed with a human for a while. Maybe she needs some of my special attention. Yes, a project like this will help move past this Wal-Mart month quickly_.'

"Sookie, you've proven yourself to be quite clever. I doubt this Portia could have found Eric's warehouse. He's dying to know how you found it."

"He's already dead so tough shit, I won't tell him."

Recognizing the beginning of bitchiness returning, she moved to something else. "You didn't answer my other question yet. Why would you have been upset if Eric hurt me?"

"Not just you, but anybody. I don't think anybody should be hurt. And God, especially over just not getting me a drink."

"I can't say I would ever want that kind of punishment, in fact, it's been years since he had to reprimand me physically. You do need to understand though. The Supe world is very different. Physical punishment and often PUBLIC physical punishment is the norm. You will likely see it at some point, and you will need to deal with it. This is where you need to be the – what did you say – the coneflower and not the delicate orchid." She paused while Sookie absorbed her words, then she added. "I can see your empathy is a significant part of you, but you need to shut that off sometimes."

Sookie sat quietly while she finished her milk, thinking about what she learned tonight. Pam's messaging, and the comments about public punishment jived with the chat she had with Eric about appearances. What she was learning is that Eric needed to appear in control of her, which pissed her off, but that was the essential message. It also seemed that they had other strict layers of hierarchy that needed to be observed. She recalled that Eric called them vampire management. "Pam, I appreciate your honesty. It's clear I need to learn more, so maybe you can spend time going over stuff with me before you leave for Fangtasia tonight?"

"I would like to chat with you before I go to work, but I'm certain that Eric wants to go over vampire topics tonight and if you tell him what we discussed and that you have questions, he would be very happy to sit down with you."

"Pam, I don't wa…"

"I know you don't want to talk to him, but Sookie he needs to be the one to educate you, as he is the one who will suffer if there is a misstep with you in public. He's not trying to be an asshole about vampires; you need to know the details. Listen, please, take my suggestion and tell him you have questions, then let him actually educate you on the facts – without debating the facts. You might find you can get through a discussion without feeling like you could kill each other. Forever is a long time Sookie, I know I keep saying it, do you really want to fight with him until your old and gray?" She added with a sparkle in her eye. "Just so you know, I never say please to a human. It's proof that you're growing on me. I think you should thank me by letting me grope your breasts."

"Thanks for saying 'please' but keep your hands to yourself."

OOOoooOOOooo

Back at his house, Eric sat in his office for a few hours trying to figure out how the evening had gone so badly. True, he didn't expect her to leap in his arms and declare love, but it seemed they couldn't even stay in the same room together for more than a few minutes without some kind of explosion. He decided to go back to Fangtasia starting the next night and only spend a short bit of time with her before and after work for the next few weeks. His hope was that smaller doses of his charm would help her adjust.

His next planning included finding a resolution to the financial dilemma that Sookie mentioned with her Gran. He had no doubt she was telling the truth, and if Sookie only worried about her Gran, she would never be able to relax here. The problem was, getting her Gran money PLAUSIBLY. First he needed facts, so he sent instructions to his day man, Bobby, to investigate the extent of the financial obligations. He also needed to find information on the extended family, in case a will or something else could suddenly be found and given to Gran. When he first took Jason as a prisoner, Pam had investigated the immediate family and friends, but he needed to learn more now. Five days was the longest he was willing to wait for information, so he authorized Bobby to bring in additional discreet resources to aid in the research.

The sound of the garage opening signaled that Pam and Sookie were back, so he quickly finished his email and ran to meet them in the kitchen - he wanted to help with the bags; that was a gentlemanly thing to do – right? Laughter was coming in from the hallway and that surprised him. '_Sookie and Pam are laughing? How can that be? Does she save all her bitchiness for me?_'

His suspicions were confirmed as they rounded the corner into the kitchen and a scowl immediately replaced the smile and giggles from Sookie. '_Yep, she saves it for me_.' He took an unneeded breath and asked if he could help with the bags.

Sookie immediately replied, "I'm good," and continued to her bedroom.

Dying to know what they were laughing about and really, everything they spoke about since they left, he turned to Pam. She quickly told him, "Jag fyller du i när vi går till vila." (I'll fill you in when we go to rest.)

"Vi har ungefär en timme innan gryningen, ska jag närma även henne att prata?" (We have about an hour before dawn, should I even approach her to talk?)

"Nej, det skulle vara en katastrof." (No, it would be a disaster.) She paused then continued, "Jag kollar på henne i ett ögonblick." (I'll check on her in a moment.)

Eric nodded and stood still until Pam yelled. "I need help with MY bags, or were you only going to help Sookie?"

"Since when do you need help carrying bags from a shopping trip?"

"Since they say Wal-Mart on the outside and they hurt when my skin gets in contact with them."

As instructed, he dumped all the bags in the laundry room outside the kitchen. "Not having this washed is not an excuse you can use for wearing other clothes. You better call the laundry service for a pickup today since they are not scheduled to be here until tomorrow."

"Sookie's going to do them for me."

"She's not your house servant Pam."

"She offered since she's doing her own. You can't wear Wal-Mart clothing without washing it first. Do you know how many poor, dirty humans have touched these already?"

"Excuse me." Sookie said as she approached them in the laundry room. "I need to get some started before I go to sleep."

"Sookie," Eric started, "just leave them all here. Pam will have the laundry service pick them up and return them before 4PM today. You aren't here to do Pam's laundry, and you don't even need to do your own since I have a service."

Sookie's eyes were cold when she looked at him. "I already told you I don't want anything from you so I don't need your laundry service. It's bad enough you purchase the food for the house, but I'll just chalk that up to survival. So please, can I get in there to get started?"

Eric's nostrils flared in anger but Pam put a hand on him and when he finally looked away from Sookie to her, she shook her head slightly.

Infuriating Eric even more, Sookie turned to Pam with a bright look on her face and asked. "What do you need done first? I don't know how much of this I can get through today."

"The lingerie." She replied using her fingers to make quotation marks. They both giggled at Pam's response making Eric even madder still.

Not wanting Eric to lash out, Pam grabbed his wrist and suggested to get to their resting place since dawn was approaching quickly. Once secure in his bedchambers, Eric asked to hear everything Pam and Sookie discussed. "First I want to understand why she'll speak to you freely, smile and laugh with you when she won't even make eye contact with me unless I force the issue."

"You are her jailor Eric. She doesn't place any of the blame for her situation on me, or even on the fact that you are a vampire. She just blames and hates YOU."

"That doesn't make any sense Pam. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad one of us can speak to her, but if I wasn't a vampire she wouldn't be here."

"Sookie simply refuses to hate an entire group for the actions of one, and she won't permit you to use the excuse that you are a vampire as the reason for all of this. She has some unique perspectives."

"Speaking on unique – did you notice anything different about her?"

"You mean besides the double D cups, handle bar hips and dancer legs?"

"Yes, besides those things. Strange mannerisms or reactions?"

"Well, she did get a headache at Wal-Mart, but I can't say that's strange, Wal-Mart should give headaches to normal humans. What is it you're looking for?"

"She blurted something out earlier that she claims was a guess, but her emotions registered panic when I asked her about it. If it was just a guess, why panic?"

"I think you should stop monitoring her emotions, you know, block them. She is going to be unstable for a while, and I can tell it's already affecting you. Did you get the paperwork done on her?"

"Yes, Cataliades came shortly after Octavia left."

"Good. Now, do you want to know what I found out about your little one or not?"

"Do tell, you only have about 20 minutes before you die for the day, the floor is yours."

"She likes books, but did not allow me to buy one for her, well, she didn't even ask. She likes to garden, and had even tried studying about gardening."

"REALLY? Was she looking at trash novels or what?"

"We were at Wal-Mart Eric, do they carry anything but trash? Actually, she even said 'there wasn't anything there to my liking'. Wal-Mart doesn't exactly carry Jane Eyre or Great Expectations, so I'm holding out hope for you. Besides, I can tell she is significantly smarter than her brother, she had to pick that up somewhere."

"And the gardening, you said she studied it?"

"She learned from her Gran but she explained that she tried to supplement her hands on leaning with reading. I get the impression there was no extra money for anything more formal."

"There certainly wasn't. In one of her rants, she explained that her Gran's Social Security Income won't cover the household expenses, expenses that Sookie was covering with her waitress salary. Now she's in a panic that Gran won't be able to pay the bills, and Jason won't help. I guess when her parents died they didn't leave enough for Gran to raise the kids."

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

"I'm trying to figure out something that is believable. Got any ideas?"

"Does Gran play the lottery?"

He smiled and commented, "that's not a bad idea. You go glamour her when the timing is right – what's the one going around now? I'll find it, it came in the mail. I'll get you the name then you'll glamour her to enter, I'll provide her with winnings...Pam. I believe that's actually going to work."

"You seem excited by the idea."

"Yes, it's one of your best."

"Good enough that I don't need to wear Wal-Mart clothes for the month?"

"Good enough that I'll cut it back to 3 weeks."

"I'll take it." She said, and died for the day.

Being so much older, Eric still had some time so he did some research and found the contest he wanted: Publisher's Clearing House. After some research he discovered that the drawing was in January, so he would need to find ways to sneak help until then, but he could manage that. The grand prize was $5000 a week for life or lump sum and he decided a lump sum payout would be better. A few actors would be needed to award the prize on her doorstep, but that would be it. _'Too easy_!'

He got into bed to await death and both listened and felt for Sookie. Footsteps from her exploration could be heard as she moved from room to room. He could feel curiosity and exhaustion and he wondered why she just didn't go to bed. Before he died, the last sounds he heard were of Sookie walking to the laundry room, and then the washer and drying being operated. He cursed her stubbornness knowing she had stayed up to wait for the cycle. _'She better get to sleep soon, or I will impose a strict sleeping schedule. She can't become too tired; it will only make her bitchier – if that is even possible.'_

OOOoooOOOooo

Sookie had waited until the first load was ready for the dryer before going to bed. Since Potts was asleep and the vampires were now hiding from the big bad sun; she found she was enjoying the time to explore the house on her own. The dining room fascinated her. Before she moved in, Potts was the only person living here to eat food, yet the room was extravagantly furnished with a table, chairs, china and gold flatware to serve 16. She wanted to use his workout room to dance since the floor felt sturdy yet bouncy at the same time, but her legs were getting too tired. If she ignored all the weapons on the wall, she really thought she could enjoy herself in here, but now, the weapons just reminded her of the monster that was dead somewhere below her feet. Remembering how his mind felt, she started walking the house again, feeling for the bubble. In the formal living room, she felt two bubbles directly beneath her. Interesting, but nothing to be gained by discovering them. For all she knew, the downstairs could be the same footprint as the first floor and the entrance could be anywhere. Eventually, the buzzer for the washer went off, indicating the washer cycle was finished. She moved the lingerie to the dryer, started a load of darks, and headed to bed. _'Day two of incarceration complete. Can't wait for day three._' Sookie thought as she cried herself to sleep.


	11. Dinner and a Show

**Hi all:**

**Got a busy couple of days coming up – so it may be Sunday before you see anything again. Sorry – my baby turns 9 tomorrow and I have a bunch of third graders descending on the house for a slumber party! Yikes.**

**You know what would make me feel better? REVIEWS! Please I write for them – seriously.**

**Hope you like what's up.**

**Thanks C. Harris and A. Ball for our characters.**

**~mags**

Chapter 10 – Dinner and a Show

October 16, 2003

Shreveport, LA

Potts stood outside Sookie's door for a few moments debating about whether to go in and comfort her. She had heard her crying for about 30 minutes now, and knowing how long Sookie had been up, she was sure she was exhausted, but she also knew she needed to take the time to process all the changes.

The details of how Sookie had come to live here, she didn't know yet. Eric sometimes talked to her, sometimes not. Right now, he seemed both extremely grumpy and unwilling to share so her preservation instincts kicked in and she didn't push for information. Several new emails arrived for her overnight, so she caught up while she waited another few minutes to decide what to do about Sookie. By the time she read her emails and made her to do list, the crying had stopped, so she quietly left the hallway to start her day.

She moved to the laundry room. She had heard the arguing over the laundry service (thank gods as a part Daemon she didn't need that much sleep). Surely Sookie wouldn't be upset if she did a few loads. She laughed at the stack of clothing from Wal-Mart and tried to imagine Pam shopping with a cart walking through the store. After her workout and breakfast she moved around another load of laundry, knowing Sookie had nothing but the clothes on her back when she arrived; she wanted to have it done for her when she woke.

Since the rest of her to-do list would be dealt with later when Bobby arrived from his errands, she went to the study to start her homework from her night class. The time passed quickly between her school work and finishing the laundry and soon Bobby was ringing the door bell then kicking the door forcefully since it was taking a moment for Potts to make it there. She checked the time, 3PM, he was supposed to have been here and gone hours ago, now she was concerned that he was going to wake Sookie with all that pounding. Furious at his noise making, she whipped open the door and shushed him to be quiet.

"Don't shush me, it's not like they can hear me, they're dead for the day."

"You idiot, you know Eric has a houseguest, a human houseguest and she's still sleeping."

"Are you going to help me with these bags and boxes or not?"

"Not. You can just put them on the kitchen table."

He piled some grocery bags and boxes from 'The Shreveport Sweetshoppe' and turned to go back out. "I have a load of books next, can you wait by the door to open it, so I don't need to make any noise and wake the princess?"

"You will not make more noise. Have some respect."

"Not my problem if she sleeps the day away. Must be nice to just eat food the Master provides, wear the designer clothes he pays for and sleep all day instead of working.

She scowled at him for his comment, but agreed to hold the door open, certain he would only make more noise than before if she didn't.

Once back in, Potts was floored by the number of bags coming in from Barnes and Noble. "What's all this?"

"This is all orders from Pam for the new slave they brought home."

"Don't call her that."

"That's what she is, a fuck and feed."

"Bobby, you don't know what you are talking about, trust me. You don't want Eric hearing you referring to her like that."

"What do you mean, fuck and feed?" Sookie surprised both of them by joining the conversation.

"That's what you are you slut. Did you think you were going to play house with the vampire and have a happily ever after?"

Sookie didn't know who this man was, and while she wasn't expecting the happily ever after, he didn't need to know that. He seemed so angry at her yet she didn't understand what she had done to him. She dipped into his head and was surprised and upset at what she heard. This man was thinking about her and how he was mad she had secured some place in Eric's life. He was furious that now he had extra errands all because of her. He was jealous of her because he was still Eric's gofer during the day and she was here, living the good life. He saw her as a stupid hick that had left her Gran without the means to fend for herself; all so she could live in luxury at Eric's house. _'How the hell does he know about Gran? Maybe he was the one Eric sent to retrieve the letter she left for Gran when she went after Jason_.' Scared that she would hear something that could cause her to reveal her telepathy, she stopped listening on purpose. It would be hard to shut him out, but she didn't want to dig anymore.

Ignoring this person, she turned to Potts. "Thank you for taking care of the laundry. You really didn't need to do that. I set the alarm to finish before Pam rose."

"It was my pleasure Sookie. I know how hard adjusting has been for you."

Bobby interjected. "ADJUSTING? To what, having anything you want? Eating pastries all day?"

That was it! "YOU LISTEN TO ME YOU FUCKTARD! You don't know anything about my situation. So I'll thank you to keep your errand running, pansy ass opin...

Potts' phone rang interrupting Sookie's verbal ass-kicking.

It was Eric. "What is going on up there? All I hear is yelling and Sookie is extremely upset."

"Bobby is here and he insulted Sookie; she's been putting him in his place, quite nicely if I do say so."

"Give the phone to Bobby."

She got Bobby's attention, told him it was Eric and handed the phone to him.

Bobby paled when he realized that Eric was awake and may have heard the argument, but he took the phone. "Master." Bobby said into the phone while he glared at Potts. Sookie just rolled her eyes at the kiss ass.

"Explain."

"I arrived a short while ago with the purchases I made at Pam's request for Miss Stackhouse. Since the packages were heavy, I needed to knock on the door to get Potts' attention. Potts asked me what the purchases were for and when I explained they were for your new slave, she informed me not to call Sookie that, and I may have said that it was my impression that she was a slave, here only for fuck and feed. Then she began insulting me."

Eric knew better than to believe the idiot's story but he'd been using the fact that Bobby wanted to be turned to his advantage. He knew at the least he could trust Bobby with the knowledge of his hiding places and finances, and that kind of trust didn't come easy. He would need to smooth over this disagreement and keep an eye on Bobby.

"Bobby, listen carefully. My relationship with Miss Stackhouse is none of your concern. You will be asked to take care of errands on her behalf, and you will follow them. You won't talk to her except to ask if she needs anything or to clarify a request. When you do need to talk to her, you will be polite and respectful. You will not talk ABOUT her to other people. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Master."

He wanted to talk to Sookie next to ensure she was doing OK after the fight he heard, but he knew she wouldn't listen and likely would hang up on him.

"Bobby, give the phone to Potts."

To Potts he ordered' "Get rid of Bobby and see if you can calm Sookie down. I can't come up for almost an hour and a half."

"I'll do my best." She answered and ended the call; then she turned to Bobby and simply said. "Get out."

"What? I just explained..."

"You don't live here, we do and I'm telling you to get out."

They both watched him leave then Potts pulled Sookie into the kitchen. "Sookie, why would Pam have all these pastries delivered?"

"She knows I like sweets. I say we put these groceries away and then have them for well, whatever the hell meal I'm eating now."

With the groceries put away, Potts grabbed a gallon of milk, cups, plates and forks. "Where shall we start?"

"The box on the top, I have no idea what's in here. While we eat, you can tell me who that jerk was."

"Only if we can come up with ways to torment him together."

"Sounds good, I need a hobby."

OOOoooOOOooo

Up again much earlier than normal and again due to an extreme spike in Sookie's mood, Eric left the bed to shower. He knew he needed to go over human and vampire titles and protocols, but he really didn't have it in him to just fight again – and he was sure that's what would happen – another fight. He checked in with Sookie's mood and found contentment and some amusement. He was thankful that Potts was there to run interference. _'Fucking Bobby. I may have to reconsider his worth, he could probably be replaced by a Were, but I need to do it carefully. If he behaves I suppose I can keep him. I just can't have Sookie being upset by others when I'm having such a difficult time just getting her to talk to me._'

After showering and dressing, he was working on some reports for the Queen when he felt pain in his bond with Sookie; he pinpointed it to his hand. Stopping to examine it he noted she felt a bit of panic as the pain subsided and shortly after she was calm. Still stuck in his daychamber and knowing Sookie had calmed down, he moved onto business.

Bobby had some initial reports on the financial situation with Sookie and her Gran. Apparently, the farmhouse had been paid off about 20 years ago, but when Sookie's parents died and she and Jason moved in, Adele Stackhouse had no choice but to remortgage. Per Bobby's notes, she tried to sell off several acres instead, but there was no interest at the time – it remained available for sale and his buying it could help out immediately, but not in the long term. The mortgage was for more than the price the land would fetch. He would need to press on with Pam's idea of winning the lottery.

It was easy to see where Sookie learned about sacrifice. Adele had been enjoying retirement when she took Jason and Sookie in, and then she was back out in the workforce trying to repay the mortgage she needed to simply clothe and feed them. It was foolish; she knew she could never repay the mortgage unless she planned to sell everything once the grandchildren were grown. The damage was done, however, and he would need to arrange for one of his holding companies to purchase the property to help 'Gran' until she won the lottery.

An hour later, after the sun had set, Eric left Pam to get ready for the night while he went up, hopefully to talk with Sookie. Announcing a meeting with classmates, Potts left for the evening. Eric went in search of Sookie, but was stopped when he saw Pam heading upstairs in one of his shirts. "What are you doing?"

"My clothes and stuff from Wal-Mart didn't make it down to your resting place last night. I'm getting ready upstairs since my stuff wound up in Sookie's room."

He felt a bit of deceit coming through the bond. He normally did not scrutinize Pam's emotions, but the past few days had him on edge. "What are you not telling me?"

Knowing she was busted, she confessed. "I was planning to use Sookie's shower since you had the better shampoo and body wash purchased for her."

"At least you answered honestly. Get your Wal-Mart products and shower downstairs. I'll be checking the scent, brat."

"Yes Master."

Once the Pam issue was settled, he returned to searching for Sookie. He was pleased to find her walking the perimeter of the property with the two witches who had worked on the ward. From his back patio he could see that while they were testing the ward, she was also smiling and laughing with the women. Deciding to leave her be, he went to his office to pack for Fangtasia. A knock on his door a short while later stopped him. It was Sookie?

"Yes Sookie."

"Octavia and her assistant are outside; they want to check in with you before they leave."

"Any problems with the wards?" As soon as the question left his lips, he knew it was wrong to have asked Sookie. He braced himself. She did not disappoint.

"No Master, there is no fucking way I can get out without Potts, well I could get out but I can't imagine the pain since just touching perimeter of the ward was excruciating. I guess we can check the perimeter with Pam and even you since someday you might lower yourself to take a Wal-Mart clothed country hick across the perimeter."

"Like you'd even lower YOURSELF to go anywhere with me anyway." He bit out; then remembered he promised NOT to engage in the fighting with her. Here they were, less than 5 minutes into seeing each other and she had dragged him down.

She stared at him for a moment, but kept her mouth shut and eventually asked. "Should I tell Octavia to leave, or will you be seeing her off."

"I'll walk out with you."

"Wonderful." She spat out.

"Sookie, remember to mind your words and tone when we are outside and in front of other supes."

"Yes, Master."

"Stop with the Master shit."

"I don't see you as worthy for me to call you by your name. As far as I'm concerned, Master suits you for our relationship." Sookie could see he physically reacted when she made her statement, but she couldn't really understand whether he was mad or something else from those words. He seemed to like others calling him Master and even insisted she do it in front of people. _'He can fuck himself if now he's upset I'm calling him that.'_

Sookie's words stopped Eric short. Normally he took pride in people and vampires referring to him as Master, well those that had the appropriate place in his life – not fangbangers like Bambi, but after only knowing her for 48 hours, the idea that Sookie thought so little of him to not call him by name was jarring. Even more upsetting, he couldn't figure out why her statement bothered him. _'I need to speak to Godric. If having a woman in my life is this distracting, it could actually be dangerous. These reactions can't be healthy for a vampire. Maybe if I put it that way, he'll see she needs to go.'_

He reached the witches waiting outside. "Octavia." He greeted her coolly. "I understand the ward is working?"

"Yes, though we wanted to test with you and Pam before we left. Is that possible?"

Eric looked at his watch and Octavia clarified. "We don't need to walk the perimeter; we just want to be sure Sookie can leave with you – just a quick walk across the driveway at the ward's location will do."

He grabbed Sookie's wrist and walked her across the perimeter. Once on the other side, he looked at her expectantly. "Did you feel anything?"

"No Master, it works. When we tested before, if I even approached it without holding onto Potts I felt it."

Pleased that she was following protocol he wanted to praise her but knew that could backfire and then have her acting out forcing him to punish her. He simply walked back across the ward with her then called to Pam.

The front door was cracked open about 5 minutes later and she called to Eric. "I'm not done getting ready, I can't come out there."

He chuckled to himself then ordered her. "Come out NOW!"

Pam was always dressed perfectly, hair coiffed and make up painted on as if she were an artist. When she walked out, she was wearing Wal-Mart sweats, sporting wet hair and no make-up. Eric wanted to laugh out loud, but he decided she was already embarrassed enough. He would explain that he forced her out as punishment for trying to use Sookie's shower. "Pam, walk Sookie across the ward."

As they walked down the drive, Pam asked Sookie if she felt ok.

"Just a headache Pam. Thanks for asking, I mean that. Oh and thanks for the pastries. I had them for lunch."

"My pleasure Sookie. You're my favorite breather you know."

"You just want to get into my pants."

"Well, there is that too."

"PAMELA!" Eric yelled since he heard the entire conversation. "Du kommer inte att ha Sookie på det sättet." (You will not have Sookie that way.) She nodded in understanding and finished the rest of the walk in silence.

The test with Pam worked and they returned back to the small group at the front of the house. "Is there anything else you need Eric?" Pam asked her maker.

"No, you may go. We are leaving for Fangtasia in 20 minutes. Be ready."

"Octavia, I need to check one more thing." She nodded for him to continue. Knowing Sookie wasn't going to like it, he put up a finger to Octavia, indicating that he needed her to wait a moment; then pulled Sookie aside to whisper what he wanted. "Sookie, I need you to remain calm and not lash out at me in front of the witches and the Weres that are walking the property. I'm going to ask something that WILL upset you but I need you to keep yourself controlled. Can you do that?"

"Yes, Master." His nostrils flared at her words, but he noted she said it without any snarkiness as they were close to others.

Returning to where Octavia was standing, he made his request. "I need to be sure that Sookie cannot get through the ward unescorted." He felt Sookie flinch and some panic through the bond, but she remained quiet.

"Mr. Northman," Octavia started. "It's very painful for her. She even has burns from our prior test."

"Burns?" Then he remembered the pain he felt before and he turned to Sookie. "Let me see your hand."

Octavia continued. "You can check with Potts; that occurred when she touched the ward perimeter without an escort. My assistant, Tracy, reduced the pain with some remedies we had in the car, but the burn still remains. I know you have a right to test the ward, but ..."

He interrupted her. "I don't need the test, thank you for pointing this out. Your earlier test will suffice. Honestly, I had no idea the ward would be this strong." He was still holding Sookie's hand, staring down at the burn. The wounded area, covering most of the palm and the undersides of her fingers, was red, inflamed and dotted with blisters. It looked painful and he grimaced when he thought he had almost subjected her to it again. Quietly he said to Sookie, "we'll take care of this in the house after the witches leave."

Sookie was confused; angry at first that he wanted her to touch the ward again and then thankful that he listened to Octavia. Now he was looking at her hand with, was that remorse? She couldn't keep up with this man. Instead of questioning him further about 'taking care of this', she simply nodded.

A short while later, Sookie was with Eric in his den. "Sookie, I'm very sorry you were hurt that badly from the ward. I truly had no idea it would be that strong. Please let me heal it."

"I don't know why, but I believe you that you didn't know about the ward and the burns it could give. Having said that, I'm not sure I want any more of your blood though."

'_Was this progress? Could she actually be calming down_?' He thought to himself, but rather than gloating about it, he continued to explain the healing he wanted to do. "I can rub some blood on your burn and it will heal. Applying it topically won't have the same side effects, well, the side effects could occur but to a much lesser degree. Can we do that now?"

"This won't make me closer to being turned will it? I mean, I had your blood the other morning, and now you want me to have it again."

"No Sookie. You need to be nearly drained then fed a vampire's blood to be turned. Just taking a little does not turn you."

"Why didn't I have the high or the addiction that V addicts have?"

"The blood you had was directly from the source. V-users take blood that has been packaged well after it has been drained from the vampire. The time difference affects the blood and changes it into the drug known as V."

She held out her hand. "Okay, heal me. Lord knows I can't cook with my hand like this, and tomorrow I'm the cook for lunch."

Eric pricked his tongue on his fang and started to lick her hand. It hurt at first until the healing kicked in after only a few seconds. By the time he was done spreading it around, she was completely healed. He continued to lick her palm to clean all the blood. Sookie looked up and him and she recognized the look; it was the same look he had right before he kissed her in the cell, and yep, here come his lips to hers.

She struggled for a few seconds, but he persisted and finally she relaxed into the kiss. It was a short kiss and when she pulled away, her hand swung back and she slapped him across the face. "You said it would be my choice, you jerk!"

Eric laughed. "That wasn't sex Sookie, it was a kiss, I just couldn't help myself."

"Don't do it again. You have plenty of other willing women that you can kiss."

Eric heard her words, but he could also feel and smell her arousal from the kiss. Knowing it would just make her madder, he kept that information to himself. "I don't know if I can commit to that Sookie, I enjoy your kisses too much. Besides, I don't kiss all those fangbangers, they are truly just fucks. Kissing is too personal for those whores." He turned serious. "Just be sure you NEVER hit me like that in public. I would be forced to punish you publicly if you did."

"I'm never leaving the house, remember?"

"We'll see about that."

"AHEM." Came from the threshold of the den. "If you too are quite finished, I'm ready to leave, but I need to speak to Sookie for a moment first."

Eric nodded and Pam walked in, her hands full of bags from Barnes and Noble. "Sookie, I took the liberty of getting you a selection of books."

"Pam, I'm not going to spend your money."

"Sookie, we are leaving for Fangtasia now, Potts is out, it's too dark to garden and you told me last night you don't watch that much TV. What do you think you're going to do while we are gone?"

She hadn't thought of that. She was already well rested and the only thing she had planned was cooking dinner. "I'll pick a book for tonight, but perhaps someone can go to the library for me tomorrow? I normally don't buy all my books, I borrow them."

"You read books touched and possibly sneezed on by all those other humans?"

"Pam, we've been through this. I've never had money to throw around like y'all do."

"And you'll be finished a book by tomorrow? So I guess it's a good thing I had Bobby purchase some Harlequin Romances."

"EWWW! No way."

"Sookie, are you a picky reader?"

"Discerning." Eric chuckled at Sookie's answer, giving away his eavesdropping even though he appeared to be reading his blackberry.

Pam turned to look at Eric, giving him a warning look that he ignored, but she turned to Sookie to see if she could convince her to accept the books. "Look Sookie, I need to get to Fangtasia, but it would make life easier if you would go through these books. Figure out what you want to read and what you will never read; then we'll have Bobby take care of the returns tomorrow. This way you'll have several books for the next few days, you'll put Bobby out and you'll make me happy. Can we do it my way, and argue again about this later?"

She huffed but agreed.

"Thank you crumb cake. I'll see you later."

"Thank you for the books Pam."

"You're welcome."

"Sookie," Eric started, "You and I still have some important information to cover, Pam and I will be home at about 3AM."

"Oh."

"Is there a problem?"

"Nothing Master. I just don't have the energy to have one of our conversations, but I know we need to talk, so I'll rest up."

He nodded and left with Pam.

Though she wanted to start on the books, Sookie's stomach demanded that she make dinner first. All the fixin's for her favorite comfort food were in the kitchen so she set out to make her Gran's fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans. _'I'll make extra for leftovers, something tells me I'm going to need comfort food, besides I'll put on the pounds all the faster_.' She started singing to herself as she cooked and soon, she had dinner ready. When she sat at the table, ready to eat, she realized she was eating alone and it would be the first of many meals she would eat alone. Before she took the first bite, she was lost in a crying fit.

At Fangtasia, Eric was walking onto the main floor enjoying Sookie's relaxed mood. He intended to thank Pam for the book idea AND for talking Sookie into at least reviewing them. The usual pathetic fangbangers immediately approached him and he scowled. Unfortunately, that only got them more excited. Blackberry in hand, he settled into his seat and began reviewing some of his other business email correspondence. It was a decent set-up he decided. He could sit and enthrall the vermin as Pam called it, and get work done for Norse Enterprises, all the while looking for a feed and fuck. His last thoughts stopped him as he wondered AGAIN why Bobby felt he could label anyone that Eric chose to live in his house as a feed and fuck. The whores at Fangtasia who threw themselves at any vampire were the feed and fucks, not his Sookie. His problem was figuring out how to assure her of that fact. Going over vampire protocol was his first step: He planned to explain slaves, pets and companions. Godric was right, she was not a pet and he hoped Sookie would understand the difference. '_But this is Sookie, she'll just be pissed and go off yelling at me before we're done. I think I'll wait until very close to dawn to start the conversation so I don't have to hear her for too long. Yes, that's the plan; I'll take a fangbanger downstairs at closing and enjoy her for a few hours. That'll take the edge off._' As he finalized his plan, he felt a sudden change in Sookie's mood, she was sad – no more than that, she was distraught. He called to see if Potts was home but got no answer. "_I'll wait this out, she'll calm down_.' When fifteen minutes had passed with no change from Sookie, he called for Pam. "I'm leaving; you can drive home after closing."

"You haven't fed yet."

"I'm aware. I had Sookie's blood the night of her break-in; I'll be fine for a few days."

"Eric, you might be 'fine' in terms of food, but you're already on edge, you need to take care of that."

"She's distraught Pam, I need to go home. Potts is not answering her phone, and I WON'T have one of the male guards go into the house."

"Potts is on a date, you won't get her." She grabbed his wrist as he headed towards the door. "I'm serious Eric, please let me get someone for a quickie."

"Very well. Hurry."

Pam returned with a short brunette and practically threw her at Eric. She licked her lips and sauntered the last few steps towards him. She attempted to reach up to his face and he shook his head; then spun his finger in a circle, indicating that she should turn around. She complied and he bent her over the desk, flipped her skirt, ripped off her underwear and then plunged. He didn't bother with any niceties and he didn't attempt to hold on for long, he was a vampire in a hurry. Just before he came, he reached over her bent form and bit. Disgusting moaning type noises, something like a pig, came from her mouth and he finished quickly. Turning to Pam, who was waiting for him to finish, he asked her if she wanted any. She nodded in reply and Eric was out the door and in the air.

When he landed outside his front door, he could hear the sobbing from inside the house. He hated crying, but given what he'd been feeling from Sookie, he was concerned for her health at this point. Her head was down on the kitchen table with a plate of untouched food pushed away when he found her in the kitchen. Instinctively, he reached for her and was surprised she didn't fight it. Recalling how Jason calmed her the other day, he shushed her while walking over to the couch and sat with her on his lap. Once settled on the couch he noticed she was red and blotchy, her eyes were screwed tight, but still leaking tears and her breath was shaky. '_I really want to let her go. She's never going to trust me let alone love me as my maker thinks. Having her here is a distraction that could get me killed.'_ He continued to think of arguments for his maker while he rubbed her back. She started to calm, but was still crying softly. They stayed that way until he heard Potts return from her date. She made eye contact with him, but he just shook his head. Taking the hint, Potts left the area.

In a shaky voice, Sookie finally spoke. "You're smelling me again, aren't you?"

He chuckled and replied. "Busted. I can't help it, you smell so sweet. …. Sookie, what has you so upset tonight?"

"Is that why you're home?"

He nodded his head. "I could feel your despair and when it didn't let up after a while, I thought I'd better get home to check on you." He tilted her chin up. "So what happened?"

"I, um, I really don't."

"Sookie, please don't say you don't want to talk about it. How can I help if I don't know?"

"You can't HELP anyway." She moved to get off his lap but now he held her there tightly. "You can't help because I'm all alone here. Potts is gone most of the time I'm awake. You go to work, and well, spending time with you hasn't been the greatest anyway." She wiggled again, trying to get out of his grip and this time he acquiesced. "Thanks for coming home, but you should get back to work, it's not that late."

"Pam's got Fangtasia, I'm staying. Why don't we watch a movie?"

"I don't know. I mean, I appreciate that you came, but really it doesn't change anything between us. I mean, you're still, well you, and I'm still your prisoner. I really just, I don't know what I want."

"You should at least eat. It doesn't look you had anything, did you?"

"No, it was when I sat down to eat that I was overwhelmed with loneliness. I do need to clean the kitchen though."

"How about you eat at the kitchen counter while I clean the kitchen?"

"Do you even know how to do dishes?"

"I'm wounded Sookie. I am a vampire of many talents."

"Man." She corrected and when he looked puzzled, she reminded him. "We established this before; you're a man."

"Fine, I'm a man of many talents. Will you eat while I clean?"

"I think I will, it'll be dinner and a show." Eric smiled. _'Is this progress? Maybe there is something here. I'll give it another week then call Godric.'_

Keeping his promise, Eric packed away the extra food, cleaned the pots and loaded the dishwasher while Sookie ate. He kept the conversation light, knowing that anything too deep would just cause crying or fighting. Eric guided the conversation to the movies he owned to see if he could convince Sookie to watch a movie as he asked earlier. Relieved to see her cleared plate he tried again. "How about that movie?"

"I really think I'd like to go to bed early. The crying jag took a lot of out me, and honestly, I'd rather be up earlier in the day so I can enjoy your pool. I mean, if it's OK to go outside?"

He was quite disappointed that she wanted to go to bed but he smiled at Sookie to reassure her. "Sure Sookie. You can use anything on the grounds."

"That's great." She smiled. "I won't swim; I just want to soak up the sun. Oh, and I know we were supposed to talk, can we do that tomorrow?"

"Why don't we back off on the education? You can just focus on adjusting to living here."

"That'll work, yeah, that's probably a good idea." She started to walk away but stopped. "Look, I appreciate that you came back, but I don't want you to think this changes anything. You're still my jailor and I'm your prisoner. I can't really wrap my head around anything more than that between us."

He said nothing as she walked away. To add to his deflated mood, Pam called.

"The shifter is here demanding to see you."

"He can go to hell."

"He can cause problems. If your sweetheart is better, you might want to come here and discuss 'things'.

"On my way."

Eric flew back to the bar and found the shifter waiting in the parking lot. "Shifter, is my bar not good enough for you?"

"Too many vampires, and since you threatened my life, I couldn't take the chance."

"Are you sitting in a silver lined car?"

"You know that would impact me as well as you, just not as much. No, I just liked the ability to drive away."

"You demanded to see me?"

"Jason's back, but not Sookie."

"I told you to stay out of this, if you don't…."

"Yeah, yeah, you'll kill me. I came to tell YOU that I have written what I know into several notes and placed them in my safety deposit box. If I die, authorities and packs know to come see you about my death AND Sookie."

"The same packs that include Weres that are employed by me, a large number of them, that's the pack?"

"Among others."

"You think I would be worried about Hotshot?"

"Look Sheriff." He spit out. "I don't know what you're planning, but Sookie is sweet, innocent, and needed by her Gran."

"You don't 'look Sheriff' me. I already know those things. She won't be killed; she'll be treated well in fact, her and her Gran. This is vampire business, if Sookie returns, Jason will be taken."

"Shit, he did something punishable by death, didn't he?" He only nodded his head in reply. "Why the swap then?"

"I'll have Sookie call you to discuss it. Will that get you to back down?"

"I won't promise that until I talk to her."

"I'll kill you if you do anything stupid, and being a hero is stupid so we are clear."

"When can I expect the call?"

"Tomorrow evening, about 7PM."

Sam pulled out of the parking lot and headed back to Bon Temps.

OOOoooOOOooo

The next evening, Pam had Sookie call Sam since Eric was keeping his distance for now. Sookie was surprised by Pam's request.

"You want me to call Sam? Why don't you just glamour him?"

Eric and Pam had discussed the need to tell Sookie he was a shifter, and as such, he could not be glamoured. "Sookie, Eric told you about Weres and shifters?" Sookie knew partly what was coming but she nodded yes to move the conversation forward. "Sam is a shifter he can't be glamoured."

"What? What kind?"

"He's a shifter in general; he can morph into any kind of animal."

Sookie decided she should react to this, even though she'd already figured part of it out. "All those years and I never knew? I thought we were friends?"

"He loves you, you know."

Sookie did know. Several other waitresses told her often. "I knew that."

"Why did you never date?"

"He's my boss and my friend. I simply never thought of him that way."

Pam purred. "Sookie, are you really a lesbian?"

"No Pam, stop trying. Can we make this phone call?"

"Yes, but I will be right here, and you will be on speaker phone."

Sookie rang up Sam and he answered right away. Before he could spit out Merlotte's she yelled into the phone. "Sam, it's Sookie!"

"Sookie." He blew out his breath in relief. "It's good to hear your voice. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Really I am."

"Are you in a jail? Are you eating, getting out?"

"Look Sam, I know you're concerned, you need to realize I am here in place of Jason willingly, though you can spit in his beer from now 'til eternity cause of it." She looked at Pam and she nodded to continue as they discussed. "Sam, Jason kidnapped and drained a vampire with Amy. Then Amy staked the vampire. He could've been killed, but they did a life for a life thing."

"But why you Chere?"

"I'm getting there, and you can't discuss this." She paused to take a breath. "Dawn is pregnant, it's Jasons."

'_FUCK, Sookie's empathy flared, she did do this willingly_,' he thought. "That's why you and Dawn worked together to find him?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, I couldn't figure that part out. Geez Sookie, you were in between a rock and a hard place."

"I know, but there was no way I was gonna have Jason miss out on the baby. That's where he is needed and I really am fine. I'm in a nice house and I have company. I spent the day by the pool"

"Eric is good company?"

"I have a friend during the day, and I really enjoy Pam, she's another vampire." Pam smiled at her friend. "Sam, promise me you won't do anything. If I leave, Jason is dead."

"I got that."

"And, Jason's so damn selfish; I need to ask you something else."

"Anything Chere."

"Can you check on Gran, help her out if she needs it, please?"

"I've been doing that."

Sookie started crying. "I… Thanks Sam. I just thanks. I'm gonna hang up."

"Stay safe Sookie."

After the call ended, Pam started to speak, but Sookie just ran out of the room. Pam followed. At the door to Sookie's bedroom she spoke to her. "Crumbcake, can I come in?"

"No, please leave me be. I did what you and MASTER asked." She said master with a bite.

"He doesn't need you to call him that."

"He doesn't deserve his name from me."

"I'm going to Fangtasia, if you need me, I'll come back, just call."

"Thanks Pam, at least I didn't lie about having a friend and I appreciate that."

Pam turned to leave thinking about how slight a chance Eric really had to befriend his little prisoner.


	12. The Future was a Dark Corridor

I survived the slumber party, barely. I'm still yawning.

Thanks for the reviews. I have some that come in as guests or folks that have PM turned off – so I can't reply to those. Sorry about that.

Next up at home is a First Holy Communion – so be prepared for infrequent postings until that shindig is over on May 5th. I'll try as best I can.

Thanks to the owners of these characters and concepts: C. Harris, A. Ball and Ericizmine. I'm just toying with their stuff.

~mags

Chapter 11 – The Future was a Dark Corridor

October 25, 2003

Shreveport, LA

Several nights had passed and Eric had adjusted his schedule to give Sookie as much space as she needed. After the past few days, however, he wasn't sure giving her space was the right decision. Tonight, as like the past week, he checked the bond with Sookie and felt sorrow and at the same time numbness. Sookie had fallen into what he gathered was depression. The two days right after they spent time together in the kitchen seemed good for Sookie. As she planned, she sunbathed or just spent time wandering the gardens and Eric kept his distance. Eric certainly enjoyed the footage of Sookie in her tiny bikini from his security cameras but a few rainy days seemed to have stopped her enjoyment of being outside. Now she was only up and out of bed for a few hours each day. The bags of Barnes and Noble books went unsorted, she rarely ate and he knew from Potts that she sometimes didn't leave her bedroom even when she was sure Sookie was up. Not even Pam was able to break her out of her funk, and she had tried several times – with pastries. Eric was in over his head so he called his maker.

"Master."

"Eric, how is Sookie?"

"Not well."

"What's the problem Eric?"

He summarized his concerns, emphasizing that he felt giving her space was the right thing, and admitting now that it seemed like a mistake.

"I disagree Eric."

"She's is a shell of a woman right now, how can this have been right? I need to send her home and end this."

As soon as Godric heard those words, he was thrilled. '_He cares very much for her, or he wouldn't be so concerned about making her better by letting her go. Even more proof that he needs to work on building a relationship_.' He kept a lid on his happiness over Eric's growing emotions and instead offered, "She needed to process everything. You had her kidnapped and missing according to the news. Her brother has returned home and reunited with his pregnant girlfriend. Her Gran now lives alone."

"Yes. But that happened when she first moved in, why did this not happen right when I took her in?"

"That could be due to several reasons. First she was angry, as you have mentioned before. Maybe it's similar to the Kübler-Ross' stages of grief and she needs to work through it. It also could have been triggered by her hearing the news of her kidnapping and Jason's return."

"Yes, you mentioned the news, what news? What do you mean?"

"I have been tracking your local news. … Eric, you are aware that the Stackhouse family has been on the news, right? She probably saw or read about them."

"Sookie doesn't really watch TV. I doubt she is aware."

"The local paper perhaps?"

"Shit. I focus on the business sections in the newspaper. I never considered her family would be written up in one of the other news sections."

"You better follow-up. As for your mention about sending her home, I insist you continue to try building a relationship. You care for her, I can tell. It's something worth exploring."

"It's going to get me killed. I am distracted, like forgetting that her family's news would be in the paper. You must permit me to let her go."

"No."

Eric ended the call and got online to review the articles for the Shreveport Times. He found coverage of Sookie's kidnapping and Jason's return from the 19th, the day things really started to go downhill for Sookie. He cursed himself for blaming the rain. Now that he had a potential cause of the spiral he was no closer to knowing what to do. Frozen without an action plan, he waited for Pam to rise for the night.

Finally, about a half hour before sunset, Pam rose to Eric's expectant face. He was literally sitting next to her, watching her face until she rose. "What happened?"

"It appears that Sookie read a newspaper article about her kidnapping and Jason."

"Shit."

"Yes, that about covers it. It was the 19th."

"The day it all went downhill, and we blamed it on the rain."

"What do we do?"

"We talk to her. YOU talk to her."

"She won't accept a talk with me."

"ERIC. You think you've been giving her space, when in reality you've been hiding."

"PAMELA! I don't hide!"

"Let me finish. You had one decent evening, you played house for a short while being all domestic in the kitchen and you liked it. Now you're afraid to talk to her about anything confrontational because you don't want to fight. Get over yourself. Have a knockdown, drag out fight and move past this shit."

"I can't. I don't deserve her. She'll never accept me."

"You're right – you don't deserve her. As to whether she'll ever accept you – how the fuck will you know if you just walk on eggshells around her?" He sat quietly, mad that she was yelling at him and even madder that she was right. "Get up there, and DO something. You're obsessed with Sookie Stackhouse, and if I know you, you don't like it. Guess what Eric? The ship sailed, you can't change how you feel and you need to move forward with her. Now, I'm going to take a shower while you figure out how to get her to talk."

OOOoooOOOooo

"Sookie" Eric said as he tapped on her bedroom door. He got no response. "Sookie, I know you're in there and I know you're up. I need to talk to you."

After a heavy sigh, she told him to come in. Eric was shocked when he took in her appearance. Potts said she hadn't seen her at all the last two days and now he believed she hadn't even gotten out of bed. The fact that she wasn't eating OR showering was obvious in her weight loss and well, her smell. He looked around the room, hoping to see some water or anything to drink or eat. What he found was a stack of newspapers. Godric had been right. "Sookie, do you want to talk about the newspapers?"

"No master. Actually, I'm pretty tired, did you need something specific?"

"I'm worried about you. You aren't eating or showering…."

"Well, I'm sorry I'm probably not up to par with the way you want me to taste and smell."

He was upset she thought that was the only reason he cared, but part of him was overjoyed she still had the energy for her snarky comebacks. "Sookie, that's not my concern and I think you know that."

"I'm tired, can you please leave?"

"No Sookie, I can't leave you like this."

"Suit yourself." She said and rolled over in the bed pulling the covers up to her face.

An idea came to Eric, he knew she would throw a fit but he needed to get her attention, and frankly, get her clean. He went into the bathroom and started filling the tub with slightly cool water. Once it was about 2/3rds full, he went back into the bedroom. Sookie was still awake, but had her eyes closed. He threw the sheets off, picked her up bridal style and made his way to the bathroom. She started squirming and fighting in earnest when she saw the full tub. "You are not!"

"Oh I am."

SPLASH! "ARGH! That's cold."

"It's lukewarm, I didn't use all cold. Are you awake enough for a shower?"

"Got to hell!"

"I believe vampires are already damned to hell, according to some fanatical church groups, so that's already done."

"Piss off."

"I don't piss."

"Get bent."

"I'll heal automatically, and I'm standing here while you stay in that tub until you decide to take a shower and talk to me."

"Bite my ass."

"THAT I really want to do, will you show it to me?"

"Fuck you!"

"I'll stay here all night if needed; I can just pour in some bath soap and throw a sponge at you if you want to remain in the tub."

"ARGH! I hate you. Why can't you leave me alone?"

"Because you're depression is starting to scare me."

Sookie stilled for a moment and stared at Eric. "What do you mean?"

"Sookie, I don't like seeing you sick, I don't like seeing you sad."

"Then send me home."

"Even if I could find a way around the vampire issues, I can't stand the thought of not seeing you at all; which is what will happen if I send you home. You agreed to stay with me forever, are you trying to kill yourself by starving to death?" He also sniped in his head '_If only I could tell you that my maker won't allow me to send you home and why he wants you to stay. This would be so much easier if I could just tell you everything, but no, Godric wants me to do this the hard way._'

"What's so special about me?"

"I'm drawn to you."

"You only fed from me once."

"I'm not drawn to you for your blood, though it was delicious. I'm drawn to the spitfire who didn't back down from me; the hero who found my resting place and bested a Were guard to save her idiot brother. I want to get to know the southern belle who charmed my child AND called Bobby a fucktard all in the same day. Your interest in books and gardening matches my own and I want to share those interests with you."

"You like the way I smell."

"I do, but ask any of the whores I've been with if their smell or their blood made me want to get to know them. Ask them if I even bother with conversation."

"You're not exactly endearing me to you, using women like that."

"I can assure you, I'm not using THEM. I never need to glamour them, they approach me. In my thousand years, I've fucked plenty of women." He paused when her face grew angry. "I didn't tell you that to brag; I wanted you to understand that I can get blood and occasionally enjoy a scent anywhere, but not companionship. You're the whole package."

She didn't say anything for a few minutes and he said nothing else while she processed his words. Finally she asked to get out of the tub. Since they started talking, Eric had forgotten she was sitting in the cold water and he started the shower for her. "You don't need to stay here, I'll shower."

"I'm just starting it for you. I'll wait for you in the kitchen."

"Ok."

OOOoooOOOooo

"What's this?" Sookie asked as she sat at the kitchen counter.

"Chicken soup. I had Bobby get it from a local specialty food market, it's not canned; it's freshly made. You haven't eaten so I thought something light would be good."

"When did you think of this?"

"I asked him to get it today when Potts told me you never came down at all yesterday. I wanted to be prepared."

"I, um, well….Thank you; it's just the right thing."

He straightened up the kitchen from prepping her soup, fussed with something in the microwave and joined her at the counter, a metal goblet in his hands.

"You're eating with me?"

"Sure."

She shifted her focus on her soup. "I guess I was pretty hungry, this was really good."

After Sookie cleared the counter and took care of loading the dishwasher, they moved to the den. Eric sat down and started the conversation that frankly, he was afraid to have. "Sookie, can we talk about the newspaper articles?"

She didn't say no, but she did put her head in her hands and wept. Eric moved to sit closer and he rubbed a hand down her back. After a few minutes, she finally spoke. "I'm missing and my family is going through same pain from when Jason was missing."

Eric hadn't thought of that angle. She's upset because her FAMILY and FRIENDS are upset. Her empathy had no bounds, something that he still struggled to understand. He was unsure how to deal with that. He could try to make HER feel better, but not her Gran and others. Suddenly, he had an idea and decided to run it by Pam. For now, he was struggling with a distraction. Of course, sex came to mind, but that wouldn't work for Sookie. Shopping was another thought, which would distract Pam, not Sookie. What would work for Sookie he wondered? He decided he'd try something that he'd barely done in his death as a vampire, and now with Sookie, he'd done it several times already – he apologized, and meant it. "I'm sorry that your family is hurting and worried. I have a few ideas I want to run by Pam that can help. Is there anything else about the article that's bothering you?"

"The baby."

He groaned inwardly, he knew this would come up – and damn Godric for requesting he love a human. He can't give a human a baby himself. At her young age, Sookie would surely want children, so he thought. Her next statement surprised him. "It's not like I was ever gonna have children myself, but I always thought I'd be the best Aunt in the world. Now I won't get to do that."

"What do you mean it's never like you were going to have children yourself?"

"I've never really dated or had a boyfriend. It's not hard to make the leap that that means I won't have children."

"Why don't you date?"

"I don't want to talk about it. Maybe we can watch a movie?"

He felt something like embarrassment; no it was shame and sadness from her right now. '_What could cause shame from dating? She was a virgin so she hasn't been raped. I'm going to do more investigating, there is something to this. For now, I'll just enjoy a movie with her, since she opened the door._' He smiled and said, "What would you like to watch, I just got the Matrix Reloaded about a week ago – but haven't seen it yet."

"That sounds good, I loved the Matrix."

OOOoooOOOooo

When the movie was over, Eric suggested a drive. "Master." He grimaced at her use of the term. "I appreciate what you did tonight, but honestly, whatever it is you think is going to happen between us, well, it just isn't. I'm your captive."

"Actually, you're not my captive, you're my companion."

"WHAT?!"

"Vampires have different government hierarchy than humans, we have different rules and we have different ways to define our relationships. Well, I guess it's not so much different as it is in addition to the human bureaucracy we have to deal with now as well."

"Keep talking vampire, I have no idea what that has to do with you calling me a companion."

"To ensure your protection, I filed paperwork claiming you as my human."

"WHAT. THE FU…"

"Let me finish?" When she continued to stare at him angrily, he added, "Please?"

She nodded and he started explaining the labels used for humans. While Sookie glared, he explained donors, pets, slaves, and companions and the vampire hierarchy.

"Donors mean nothing. In fact, until the reveal, most donors didn't even know they were donors; they were glamoured after they were used for feeding. Having a pet designation constitutes an ongoing relationship between the pet and the vampire while the pet is a source of blood and sex. A pet is a slave to their vampire owner, or master. Before you flip out, because I can see the words forming behind those beautiful lips, get what you know of the concept of slavery out of your head. It's a designation, not a job description. In human terms the difference is the donor is a one-night stand, a pet is a girlfriend, perhaps a bit of a mistress since the vampire is responsible for the care - and often extravagant care – of the human. This is why many of the donors at Fangtasia strive to become pets now that the term is getting around. Some vampires keep several pets. I had planned to make you my pet at first."

"What changed?"

"You are so much more than a pet so I knew I needed to file you as a companion. It provides the protection and ownership like a pet. No vampire can touch you or feed from you, ever."

"Isn't that the same as the pet?"

"It is a designation with more respect. I cannot nor do I want to file anyone else as a companion or pet." He kept the parts about being blood bonded or having the intention to bond to himself _for now_. The human designations were already a huge amount of information to absorb. She did ask the question he had prepared himself for.

"Monogamy? You're saying that even though I have repeated told you I want nothing to do with you, you set yourself up for monogamy." She didn't believe it for a second. When she was scanning Fangtasia, she found many women that Eric had slept with. No, he was not a monogamy type of guy. Still she listened for the answer.

"I'll be honest. The contract specifies that I won't have another pet or companion contract, not that I can't fuck anyone I want, well, except another vampires pet or companion, unless the vampire has given permission." He could see the blow-up brewing, so he kept going. "I want a relationship with you and while I have never been monogamous as a vampire; if, rather, when we finally are in a relationship I will remain faithful to you. Until then, I will be with other women, other donors."

"I don't know where to start. I don't want a relationship with you, so even though I asked about it, your words of monogamy mean nothing. For now, you certainly can go fuck whatever you want. What you said about the vampire gives permission; that scares me? You can give me to another vampire?"

"That's another reason for you being a companion and not a pet. Pets are frequently shared, and other vampires will boldly ask to taste or try another vampire's pet. Companions are rarely shared, and it's a dishonor for a vampire to request a taste or try of a vampire owned companion. I will never allow anyone to touch or taste you."

"But I have to trust that you aren't lying or that you won't change your mind. Who created these designations? Who the hell gave vampires the right to have such control over humans?"

"Sookie, trusting me, well, someday I hope you will. As far as the right to control humans - whether you and I agree with these conventions is a mute point. They exist, and if I wanted to protect you, I needed to file the paperwork."

"But I've never needed protection."

"Yes, but you are with a vampire sheriff. You will be exposed to more vampires."

"Your entire fucking fault – I might add."

"I didn't break into a vampire's warehouse."

"To rescue my brother who shouldn't have been there." She stood, as she got more worked up.

"Sookie, we have been through this, Jason did not personally kill Eddie, but he did conspire to kidnap and he helped restrain and drain Eddie – for about a week. For draining, according to vampire law, he should have been executed. If I fail to dispense punishment, and I must report my actions, I could lose my territory, be severely punished or even staked. Even then, Jason wouldn't be free. Another vampire would just take my place and kill your brother."

"So my swap was reported as part of justice for Eddie?

"Yes." He tugged on her hands to guide her back to the couch. "This is the root of our current situation. I can't let Eddie's kidnapping and death go unpunished. A human has been incarcerated and that satisfies my superiors."

"How do they know you aren't lying?"

"I don't lie, but I have recordings of the warehouse and my basement at Fangtasia."

"You have another place for punishment? Cause just one isn't enough?"

"I dispense vampire punishment at Fangtasia while there are vampires in the building. Hearing it can be an effective deterrent. Sookie, I punish humans for crimes against vampires, but I also punish vampires for crimes against humans or other vampires. In addition to the designations we have for humans, we have other rules for how we live amongst humans. Parole, or talk therapy or even a stay in a luxurious jail cell would not be a disincentive for vampires."

"That makes sense. What constitutes a crime against a human?"

"Well, you know how I said before the reveal, donors were glamoured?"

"Yes."

"That is not the case now. Donors must be willing. Sexual partners must be willing too."

"That's good to know. But these are you own rules, as vampires. It's not like there's been a public service announcement to look out for a friend being glamoured."

"You're right – it's laws we have given to ourselves. I was actually part of the committee that planned for the reveal and wrote these laws."

"Oh, so you believe in these laws."

He paused a moment before answering her question with a question. "Do you remember when I said I wouldn't lie to you?"

"Yes. I guess I'm not going to like the answer, huh?"

"I'm going to give you the whole answer, and I'm asking to you to hear me out. Can you do that?"

"O - Ok, I will."

"In 1975, I went to my first meeting for the Reveal Committee in New York. Plans for the Great Reveal had been started just a few years before that. Sookie, I'm not fond of pomp and circumstance, but this was over the top. There were four representatives, one from each of the vampire regions in the US, the Chancellor, and a stenographer. The Chancellor hired a trumpet player to announce his arrival; then he had official attendance taken – for FOUR of us!" He paused to laugh at the memory and Sookie couldn't help herself, she laughed too. "I had trouble keeping the laughter in. It was even worse since Godric was sitting next to me, and I could feel his amusement too."

"Wait, who is Godric, why do you feel him?"

"Oh, he's my maker, but I'll get to that after this story."

"Ok, sorry for interrupting."

"Not a problem. Well, anyway, we started the meeting and many topics were about vampire and human relations. I will admit that in 1975, I had some views of humans that you would not like." He paused, and she made a motion indicating that he should continue. "I used to think of all humans as simply cattle, here for vampire purposes only." She flinched at the word cattle, but remained quiet. "I also thought vampires should just take over and rule. Godric was very disappointed in my attitudes. He challenged me to get to know humans more personally, and his plan worked." Eric's focus drifted from Sookie for a moment as he realized what Godric had done. He hadn't compared himself to his 1975 attitudes and now he realized the difference was significant. Even though Godric called his prior attempts at relationships failures, they were not. They all lead him to his revised appreciation for humans as more than just food. Well, he appreciated some very notable humans before, but now he had a broader appreciation for the entire race. Godric, as always, knew what he was doing. The question that Eric had now was, why? Why was Godric so insistent that he change?

Sookie's question brought him back to the conversation. "Did you hear me master?"

"No, I was thinking about something, what did you say?"

"I asked if Godric challenged or commanded you."

"In this case it was a challenge. There are some parts of that challenge that I cannot share with you, but just know that it worked. I have come to appreciate the creativity of humans, the struggles you have for survival, and all that you have accomplished without magic or superior strength."

"Glad to hear it, so we aren't all worthless?"

"Far from it. Some humans," he ran his hand down her cheek, "are extraordinary."

"I can't…."

He moved his hand away noting her discomfort and decided on a new track for the conversation. "Sookie, let me ask you something." She nodded. "When you went to the warehouse, you made a quick decision to swap yourself for Jason. Now that you've had time to think about it, do you regret that decision?"

"No, not at all. He needs to be with Dawn and the baby."

"And right now, you blame me for all this."

"Yes." The response sounded confident, but Eric could feel some conflict.

"Would you blame the human police if Jason had been arrested and put in prison?"

"No, they're just doing…" She stopped mid sentence and waited a moment before continuing. "It's not the same."

"I'm not going to dissect the differences between my position as a vampire sheriff and your human police. I'll leave you to think just how different the root of the situation is – or perhaps that it is NOT so different."

They were silent for a moment until Sookie remembered something. "So you were going to tell me about Godric?"

"Yes, my Maker, Godric is the Sheriff of Area 9 in Texas. He made me over a thousand years ago. We have not lived together for centuries, but we remain close. Just as I have with Pam, we have a blood connection. I can feel his emotions and he can feel mine. We can also send emotions."

"Can you send emotions to me?"

"Not with just the small amount of blood you've had, but I can feel that you are tired."

"I am. Apparently getting out of bed for the first time in days can be exhausting."

"You know, it's supposed to be sunny tomorrow. I know it's getting cooler, but you seem to enjoy being outside. You should make a point to get out."

"I will, and what do you mean I seem to enjoy being outside? Did Potts tell you?"

He looked like a boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar – it was really the only way Sookie could describe that face. "What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Liar. Did the guards spy on me while I was outside and report back?" She looked to his face for clues while he shook his head NO. She thought some more. '_He likes security. SHIT, cameras_!' She smacked his arm as it occurred to her. "Cameras? Have you watched my time in the sun like a pervert?"

"You are a beautiful woman, that tiny bikini was wasted on just being seen by the birds in my yard. You're also quite clever to have thought that through." He tried to make a serious face at his response, but his smirk couldn't help appearing.

"I'm going to bed before I say anything else on this topic that will just get me in trouble." She added to herself, '_and I'm going back on my - fatten Sookie up so he doesn't want me mission tomorrow_.'

"Goodnight Sookie."

"Goodnight you dirty old man." Before she left, she offered one final comment. "Thanks for waking me up … Eric."

He smiled at the use of his name. "You're welcome."

**Chapter Title Credit: ****The future was a dark corridor, and at the far end the door was bolted."  
― Gustave Flaubert, **_**Madame Bovary**_


	13. Pink Painted Nails

**Hey All! Hope you see the notice for this. I posted it - then needed to edit something.**

**Enjoy our next installment. After seeing the book spoilers, I really needed Fanfic time today. I'm headed to a corner to read me some Ericizmine, TexanLady or possibly InlovewithEric to get over the news.**

**I don't own the characters, and with the rumor or killing Eric off TB, and the spoilers from the last book, I'm kinda glad I don't own them. I think fanfiction is doing a better job...wow, that was nasty - but it felt good!**

**~M**

Chapter 12 – Pink Painted Nails

October 26, 2003

Shreveport, LA

Eric rose shortly after 4PM and as usual, he checked his bond with Sookie. He knew it would weaken soon and for now, he didn't know if he would ever get the chance to give blood to Sookie again. At the moment, she was content and this pleased him. Her mood could have been due to several things: Eating the fresh pastries that he knew Pam had delivered after he reported that she was eating again; antagonizing Bobby with Potts since he was due to be at the house today; or simply adjusting to her new home and status after their talk last night.

After getting ready for the day and working on Norse Enterprises, the sun was setting and he was excited to head upstairs for the evening. He had already told Pam he was going to Fangtasia late. A Sheriff errand needed to be run and honestly, he wanted to spend time with Sookie before he left. Ready to see why his Sookie was in a good mood, he headed up the stairs.

He found her in the den finally going through the bags of books from Pam. Seeing her with the books reminded him about the indecision he felt over her reading and his secret library. Since his library was part of his underground secured chamber, he felt it wasn't safe to share it with her yet. Pam's selection of books was a good start and he hoped she would continue to accept new purchases instead of being stubborn about taking anything from him. He was completely prepared to play up the fact that PAM had purchased them for her, even though Pam's credit cards were his credit cards.

"Good evening Sookie. You're in a good mood."

"Bobby was here today. I had the pleasure of telling him he needed to go to Goodwill with Pam's Wal-Mart clothes. He hates being seen at Goodwill."

"For someone who fusses at my attempted purchases for you, you have no problem sending Bobby on errands."

"He's an ass."

"I think you called him a fucktard, and remembering your comments to him can still put a smile on my face."

"Glad I can entertain you."

"You certainly do. Bobby hasn't misbehaved again, has he? You need to tell me about it, since I am concerned about his behavior toward you, and he really only has one last chance."

"No, he's been good."

Eric stared at her. Her statement said one thing, but he felt a bit of pain from her when she answered. "Sookie, if he's been good why did I just get pain from you?"

"Pain, I don't know about pain. I guess even after the jerk he's been I would feel bad if he lost his job." Internally she was relieved that she came up with that one fast. Bobby's thoughts were very unpleasant, but she certainly couldn't share that with Eric.

Her answer seemed right, but like a few other times, her feelings and words did not mesh up. '_I'll ask Potts about Bobby to be sure as well. Though Potts would love any reason for me to fire Bobby so I know she would tell me if there was a problem._'

"Did you spend time outside today?"

"I did. I scoped out the areas where I thought the gardens would benefit from some spring bulbs, if that's OK with you. According to Potts, you don't have any bulbs."

"That's fine Sookie. You can order what you need through Bobby."

"Yes, that's what Potts said. I placed an order on your desk for you to approve. I gave you a few options with different layouts and prices."

"You can get whatever you want, price is not a problem."

"Oh." She looked down from his gaze.

"I thought you would be happy with that."

"I just drew up some plans for your beds, just quick sketches, I mean; it's YOUR house, not mine."

"You wanted my input."

"Yes."

"OK, I'll take them to Fangtasia and review. Or we can plan to walk the gardens tomorrow right after the sun sets?" He paused and realized that a pleasant walk around his property would be good for them. "Now that I think of it; that would be best."

"Yes, I'd like that. I do need to order quickly though. I have to refrigerate the bulbs starting early November for planting just at the beginning of the year."

Eric was almost unsteady on his feet thinking about how well the conversation was going. Indicating the books on the table, he asked. "See anything you like?"

"Yep. I sorted them in a few different stacks. This one," she pointed to one of the stacks,"is books I want to read or I have already read them and would like to read them again. This stack, I don't really see myself ever reading."

Eric chuckled after looking at the stack. "I would agree with that. 'The Heiress and the Vampire'? No; 'The Guardian of the Siren'? Not any time soon. Yes Sookie, I would agree with you there." He nodded his head towards the other pile. "What's the last stack?"

"Well, I haven't read them, they're biographies or autobiographies. It's not really a genre I read, but since I'm here for a while I was concerned I might run out of material."

"I'm sure Pam will keep you supplied."

"I don't want to take advantage."

"Sookie, you recall that companions are cared for, sometimes extravagantly. Books for you would be no different than providing your food."

"And you recall that I don't like the whole companion thing. You telling me you have registered me as a companion isn't the same as me accepting it."

"I understand that and I know you need time."

She shook her head and started to protest. "Time isn't…"

He cut her off, "Sookie, please. I know you are struggling with this – in the interim, books, even if you go through a few a day are not going to break Pam. You let her buy the pastries, you don't NEED pastries."

Based on the look on her face, he guessed that was the wrong thing to say. Her statement proved it. "What do you mean, I don't need pastries? Are you saying I eat too much, that I'm fat? You know what, never mind. We can't seem to have a conversation without arguing, I'll just go to my room."

He watched, his mouth hanging open as she stormed up the stairs. '_What the fuck just happened_?' he wondered to himself as he heard Pam sneer. "What the fuck did you do this time?"

He turned to Pam, his mouth still open in shock and finally spoke. "I have no idea."

"Sit down and tell me, I'm sure I can figure out where you screwed up."

"Let's go to the office, I have to get ready for an errand."

While they walked to the office, Pam asked. "Errand?"

"Yes, I've gotten complaints from local police in Monroe about a house of vampires."

"Liam, Malcolm and Diane?"

"Of course. Who else thinks they can continue to break the rules without consequences? I never approved their nest yet it seems they do live together even though they provided us three separate addresses."

"Oh goody, does that mean I'll have three playthings later?"

"You'll have to wait until I meet you at Fangtasia later to see if they are being brought in or not."

Seated in the office now, Pam said. "Very well. Now, tell me what you did."

He summarized the conversation with Sookie, and when he got to the part about pastries and Sookie's reply, Pam laughed out loud. "Oh Eric, this is too good."

"How can it be good if she stormed out? I need to go upstairs and apologize for something – I guess for her thinking I was calling her fat – which I was NOT. She needs to know that I think her body is perfect, well actually now she needs to gain back the weight she lost. That's the right move here, isn't it?"

"Normally it would be, but I'll tell you a secret." He raised his eyebrow in anticipation, so she continued. "Before her depression and hopefully now again, she's been trying to gain weight, figuring you wouldn't want her if she was fat."

Now it was Eric's turn to laugh. "And you didn't correct her?"

"What? Tell her that her plan would only make her more attractive to you? No fucking way."

"She's going to be pissed at you if she finds out." He paused then something dawned on him. "PAM! That's why you keep having pastries purchased?"

"Of course. I'm helping my favorite breather and my master at the same time all while appearing to her that I 'care'. You like?"

"I love."

"How much do you love?"

"You can start wearing your own clothes again on Halloween."

"Excellent. Speaking of Halloween, what about having Sookie at Fangtasia?"

"She's missing Pam, that won't work."

"I've thought this through. She can attend in a costume with a mask, so her identity will be safe. We can be sure to have only your most loyal vampires in attendance. She needs to get out."

"That's a good idea. Do you want to discuss it with her?"

"No, you should ask, you would be her escort."

"I think that would be a deal-breaker for her; being my escort."

"I bet she'll be so excited, that fact won't matter. You need to be her escort since she is yours in the eyes of the vampires."

"Ok, but how do I get out of tonight's mess without revealing how much I love her curves? If I tell her that now, I'm afraid she'll starve herself thin."

"Good point. Just tell her you were only making a comparison to necessities versus luxuries and since she doesn't partake of any luxuries except the pastries, it was your only option. You weren't making any other judgments. Then launch right into Halloween, get her mind off of it. I'll start on the costume."

"Ok, I'll try that. I have one other item to discuss with you."

"Go on."

Eric told Pam about Sookie's reaction to the newspaper articles and her concern over her Gran's feelings. "The concern she has for her Gran is eating at her. I have an idea but I wanted to mull it over together, look at it from a few different angles."

"Ok, shoot."

As they often did, he proposed his plan, she questioned and assessed; they bickered several times as well. They realized the plan needed more work and Eric decided to call Godric at his first opportunity.

'I'll see you at the bar. I need to see Sookie then get going."

"Later then."

"Oh and Pam?"

"Yes."

"Don't pretend that you're only making it appear that you care. You like Sookie and it would bother you if she was gone."

"We both would be bothered if she was gone and we'll keep that secret for each other."

With that he headed upstairs to see Sookie. Thankfully, the crying he heard when she first went up had stopped, but he knew her face would be covered with tear stains and her eyes would be puffy. He steeled himself for that, knowing it always tugged at his emotions, and knocked on the door. "Sookie, I need to leave for Fangtasia, but I want to talk to you first."

"So talk."

"I want to talk to you Sookie, not your door, can I please come in?" He tried to sound pleasant while asking to enter a room in his own fucking house.

"Fine."

He entered the room, and as suspected, he saw the evidence of her crying jag, but he pressed on with his task.

"Sookie, my comments were only about pointing out luxuries and since you don't partake in any luxuries, pastries were my only available comparison." He paused when she didn't immediately react. "I wasn't making any judgments about what you eat."

"Ok."

OK was probably the best he would get so he launched directly into Halloween, using Pam's plan to distract her from her earlier upset.

"So, we're having a big costume party on Halloween at Fangtasia. It's a great opportunity for you to get out while hidden behind a mask. Would you like to go with me?"

He didn't miss the excitement coming through the bond, even though she forced her face to remain passive while she answered. "I don't think that would be a good idea."

He pushed. "Sookie, you might not like that I can feel you, but the fact is I can. I know you're excited by this opportunity to get out."

She sighed. "You're right. Yes I'll go, no sense hiding it and I really don't want to fight again. I'll get dehydrated if I keep crying. How do I get a costume though?"

"Your new BFF will help you."

"You mean Pam? My BFF?"

"You have no idea the effect you've had on her. Well, you'll see it. When we go to Fangtasia next week, the Pam you see there is the Pam we typically have. Since you've joined us, she is much happier, lighter. You give her things to enjoy Sookie."

"I like her too. It's a shame it's all due to captivity."

He clamped his mouth shut to not correct her. _'It's on the positive side now; I must leave without starting another fight_.' Keeping a smile on his face, he asked. "Will you be up when we return? You can probably start looking for a costume with Pam then."

"Sure, I'll go down and read in the den. If I fall asleep, tell her to wake me when she comes in."

"Sounds good. I'll see you later then."

OOOoooOOOooo

Pam was positively giddy when she saw Eric pull into the parking lot with Liam, Malcolm and Diane. She even ran to meet him at his car after she grabbed another employee to man the door. "I guess you're glad you drove the SUV tonight?"

He nodded and asked her to help with moving their guests to the basement. "Gladly Master." She moved quickly with Eric and they were chained to the wall in only a few minutes. "What's the charge?"

"They were seen with two missing girls outside a restaurant and taking them away in their car. I found the girls in their house being kept as unwilling and uncared for pets. Luckily, it had only been 2 days. The girls were returned to their human families with a commitment that these three will cover all their recovery expenses and I need to report the punishment back to the local police." He walked over to Liam who served as the leader of the trio. "When I arrived, they also tried to cover up their actions, so they need to learn that when they are caught, the need to comply. They need to learn that clearly."

"And the punishment?"

"Pam, as you have pleased me greatly this evening already, it's lady's choice." She started rubbing her hands together and he stopped her for a moment. "Within the following limits: they need to live, they need to be out of Fangtasia before Halloween, and they need their limbs."

"So fangs?"

"Can go." He smiled and faced the trio. "You will be on True Blood until they grow back. That's for defying me after you were already caught red handed."

Malcolm spoke. "Sheriff, True Blood only? It will take forever to grow back fangs on True Blood."

"Yes, it will take a while. Do not defy me on this or try to use a blade so you can drink from donors. You will each have a tail, and if you are caught with a human or even bagged donor blood, you will be back here. You will also pay for the expenses of your own tail. Pam, I will leave you to your work."

He went upstairs and spied one of his dancers, Yvetta, and motioned for her to join him in one of his 'guest rooms' downstairs. He'd added sound proofing to the 'guest room wing' downstairs and a separate staircase so guests didn't need to pass through the punishment area. As soon as they were downstairs in the spare bedroom and the door was locked; he ordered the dancer to strip. It only took a moment since she wore next to nothing as a dance costume. Yvetta was beautiful, but he couldn't help wishing she was someone else. She reached up to kiss him, but he never kissed fangbangers, ever. For tonight especially, he couldn't even bear to see her face so he turned her around to face away from him. Yvetta liked it rough and he was in the mood to provide it since Liam, Malcolm and Diane had tried his patience. He used some rope and bound her arms together then attached her to a hook on the ceiling. He was pleased with this since he didn't even want her to touch him. Blood and a release, that's all he wanted. Yvetta, however, thought she was really pleasing Eric with her compliance and she tried to say as much. That wasn't the voice he wanted to hear. "Silence!" He ordered as circled her and ended at her back. Yvetta actually licked her lips and pushed her ass out a bit offering it to him. He took full advantage of her proclivity for roughness and about 2 hours later when they were both sated he untied her and ordered a vampire to see her home.

Meanwhile, after a few hours, Pam was cleaning up from her fun. Luckily, Fangtasia had a shower so Pam could change out of her blood covered Fangtasia clothes and shower before donning her lovely Wal-Mart sweats. Even having to wear the Wal-Mart clothing couldn't darken her mood after her little torture session with three of her least favorite vampires. She texted Eric as he sat on the throne asking him to choose a donor for her. He walked a curvy brunette into the shower room with Pam and left her to her fun. The crowd was starting to thin and he decided to leave so he could return to Sookie. '_She invades my thoughts all night long. This relationship must work, I need her. Shit, I need her_?'

Shaking his head at his own revelation he left the throne and spoke to Longshadow, his other Fangtasia partner and bartender, "you can close up. Pam is busy at the moment and I'm heading home."

Longshadow simply nodded and watched Eric go to the back of the bar. He knocked on the door to the shower and quickly informed Pam that he was leaving and he would see her at home. "Remember, you are costume shopping tonight with your girlfriend."

The door flung open and Pam was standing there naked, while the brunette quickly tried to cover herself as she stood exposed in the shower. "You didn't tell me that before. She agreed?"

"Yes. She said you should wake her if she is asleep so you can start looking at costumes. She'll be in the den."

"Any costume guidelines in addition to a mask?"

"I want her in a corset with back ties and I want you and Potts scarce when we get home from Fangtasia on Halloween."

Pam didn't answer with words; she just snickered at him, and then closed the door to go back to her fun.

OOOoooOOOooo

When Eric walked into the den, Sookie was indeed asleep on the couch with a copy of Anna Karenina open on her chest. He picked up the book and marked the page, noting she was an impressive 2/3rds through the book already. As if tempting him, she lay dressed in a pair of shorts and a tee shirt that had crept up her stomach and he resisted the urge to lean over and lick her exposed belly button. He could NOT, however, resist her tiny feet with freshly painted pink nails, evidenced by the bottle of nail polish on the coffee table. '_She won't object to a foot massage, at least I hope not._' The end of the couch had plenty of room, so he gently lifted her legs, moved to sit under them, then proceeded to massage her feet where they now rested in his lap. In a few minutes, she started making low moaning noises, similar to the noises she made when eating something she really enjoyed.

"What are you doing?"

"Your pink toes were calling me."

With her eyes still closed, she scowled and asked, "You don't have a thing for feet do you?"

"No, I was resisting the urge to tickle your tummy and your feet seemed like the safer place to get my hands on you."

She tugged at her shirt to cover her exposed stomach. "You're lucky you know what you're doing down there. It's heavenly. I hereby give you permission to give me a foot rub whenever you want to."

"How about when you are in the bathtub? We could really have fun with that."

That got her to open her eyes. "ONLY WHEN I AM FULLY CLOTHED!"

"Prude."

"And proud of it. How was Fangtasia?"

So shocked that she actually asked he paused his attentions for a moment, but finally resumed his handy work and answered. "Typical. Fangbangers throwing themselves at vampires." To show her his seriousness in protecting humans and to start desensitizing her somewhat to the violence of his world, he decided to tell her about his Sheriff duties. "I did have some nasty Sheriff business tonight."

"Can you talk about it?"

"Yes, since you are my companion and not a random human. You see, there are advantages to your position." She rolled her eyes and told him to go on with the story. "I got a call from the police in Monroe about some suspected vampire issues with two missing young women. When I got to the vampire's nest, I found the two women there involuntarily and removed them to safety."

"Oh my God, what happened, will they be OK?"

"Physically, yes, and the three guilty vampires will be paying for the medical expenses. A designate in my retinue will approach the families tomorrow to help glamour the trauma away."

"Why not you?"

"I have a vampire who is especially gifted with glamour. She is the best person for the job. I also want her to glamour selectively. While the vampires being punished were in the wrong, the girls did go to a known vampire location and threw themselves at the vampires hoping for a bit of fun. They just got more than they bargained for. I need them to remember some of their ordeal so they don't put themselves in danger again."

"That makes sense. What happened to the vampires?"

"They were taken to Fangtasia and punished. They will be there for a few days. I believe Pam removed their fangs and they can only drink True Blood until their fangs grow back."

"Pam did that?"

He nodded his head. "Your buddy is quite skilled at dishing out vampire punishments."

"I don't know what to say about that. Why are you being so honest when you know it will bother me? Do you want me to hate Pam?"

"Quite the opposite." He stopped with her feet and moved up to her calves, not even realizing what he was doing. "Sookie, this violence is part of my life as a sheriff. We talked last night about the need to punish vampires in a very different way than you are accustomed to with human punishments. Do you want these three vampires to think they can get away with keeping unwilling pets?"

"Not at all. I get that."

"Good. What I want you to also understand is that someone, some vampire actually needs mete out the punishment. For me, many times that is Pam. I would rather you start hearing about it and understand her role in my life now while we can calmly talk about it. If you joined me at Fangtasia or some issue caused you to see Pam in action and you had no idea, it could turn you away from her. Honestly, I think you would both be hurt by that."

"I see your logic. I don't like thinking about my friend that way, but I can compartmentalize it in my head. I certainly don't want those vampires to go unpunished."

At that moment, Pam entered from the garage with a loud "I'm home cream puff! Time to start picking your Halloween costume."

Eric and Sookie both chuckled at her, but Sookie was the one who spoke. "Did you have fun tonight Pam?"

Pam looked at Eric, "You told her?"

"Yes Pam, we are being honest with Sookie."

"Sookie?"

"It's OK Pam. I don't agree with your punishments of humans, but I can't disagree that vampires need to be punished differently. I don't want those three to EVER get their hands on another unwilling human and if you are the one prevents it, I can deal with that."

"You continue to surprise me Sookie."

"I surprise myself as well. Are you ready to start looking at costumes?"

"Sure, let me just boot up my laptop."

"Sookie, Pam, I'll leave you to your shopping. I have some Norse Enterprises work to get done."

"Eric, I'm planning on dressing you and muffin in a couple's costume. We can shop in the office with you while you work, or you can just work out here, but I need your input either way."

Sookie looked horrified at that idea. "What do you mean, a couples costume? Not something stupid like salt and pepper, or ham and cheese?"

"No, nothing like that at all." Pam spied the book on the table. '_Perfect_' she thought. "How about Anna Karenina and Count Vronsky?" She knew she had a winner when both Sookie AND Eric grinned. Sookie obviously liked the story and Eric would get a corseted Sookie out of the deal. "I think I picked a winner."

"Ok smarty," Sookie started. "How do we get something that elaborate in under a week?"

"I have friends who make clothing. We just need to find some appropriate images and they will get on it. I can have Potts take you over there tomorrow for measurements. My friends have already made clothing for Eric, so they don't need his."

"Ok, this sounds like fun. Wait, tomorrow is Sunday, your friends are probably closed."

"No, they work out of their house; we just need to make an appointment."

A short while later; they had selected images for both Sookie and Eric's outfits. A gorgeous wine colored dress for Sookie and a dark grey 19th century Russian Military uniform for Eric. Pam e-mailed the details to her seamstresses and told them to call Potts in the morning to make an appointment for measurements. "Sookie, they'll have the undergarments for the outfit there tomorrow. Don't fight with them. They'll select what you need and ensure you get the right size."

"I'm getting the whole thing?" She asked her face bright with excitement.

"You are, but we'll need to find shoes online since they don't carry any footwear. Let's order a few that could work and have them shipped." Pam smiled back and navigated to her favorite sites for shoes. They selected several pair and Pam arranged for them to be shipped FedEx for Tuesday delivery, after she added a few selections for herself of course. "Now, I've heard your stomach growling, let's get you some pastries."

"It's too close to my bedtime for pastry. I'll grab a yogurt and head up to bed." She stood to head towards the kitchen but stopped and turned. "Thanks for the costume Pam. Eric, thank you for inviting me to Fangtasia. I'm actually looking forward to it."

"You're welcome Sookie. Goodnight."

"Yes crumbcake, have a good night."

Sookie's footsteps, not stomping, were heard as she went to her room and closed her door. Pam turned to Eric. "How does she feel?"

"Listen."

"What do you m…?"

"Shhh, listen."

Pam stilled herself and listened, then smiled. "She's humming something."

"She's gloriously happy Pam. In fact, It's the first time I've felt this much happiness from her. Thank you."

"You're welcome and -"

"Yes, I know – shoes."


	14. It's a headache!

**Hi all – I'm working to get the house in shape for my daughter's First Holy Communion Party next weekend and I'm taking a quick break to post. **

**There is a review that I cannot respond to – it's not a bad review or anything like that, but I wanted to clarify something so there isn't any confusion. There will be no escape or escape attempt. Sookie is unhappy but resigned to staying for Jason's sake. The situation as Eric explained is that if she left, he would either need to re-capture Jason or be punished and even if he were punished, another vampire would step in and take or kill Jason. That is the truth in this story line. Hope this clears that up.**

**PM me if you have a question (or use review, but turn on your PM so I can respond).**

**Thanks!**

**~Mags**

Chapter 13 – It's a headache!

October 27, 2003

Shreveport, LA

As planned, Eric met Sookie at dusk outside to walk the gardens. He had reviewed her sketches before dying for the day and was impressed. Not only had she taken the time to map out the property but the ideas she proposed were inspired. As he followed her around the property, she described her ideas and he could only stare: Her face lit up; she was animated; she looked exquisite. She also smelled wonderful from being out in the sun. He took every opportunity he could to sniff her even though each sniff resulted in some very powerful urges to bite and lick her. Eau de Sookie was worth it. They were seated at the garden bench reviewing her plans for that particular bed when Eric blurted out, "Sookie, you are beaming about this."

"I like gardening."

"I think it's more than that."

She shrugged her shoulders at his comments, and stood to continue their walk. After they finished she asked him "So what do you think?"

"I like the full plan from this sheet." He said as he pointed to one of the plans. "I especially like the additions you noted for planting this spring. We'll do those as well. I love that you researched night blooming plants that would work well in this climate."

"It's your property, wouldn't that make sense?"

"It would, but no other person I've hired has done this level of research or work before."

"Their mistake. I'll get Bobby on the purchases tomorrow. You seem to like your gardens, why not push those you hired to plant certain species?"

"Hmm, how best to describe this – I enjoy a garden, not gardening – not the research and work that goes into it. Perhaps because when I was human, I was a farmer and working the land was for survival, not enjoyment. I've never really thought about it that deeply though."

"Makes sense."

As they stepped into the house, Eric asked her about her plans. "What would you like to do tonight? Pam's going out on a date."

"I was just going to read."

"Runaway Jury is playing at the theater, would you like to go?"

"Go out, in public?"

"Sure, we can get you a hat if you want to go."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

She paused for a moment, excited to go see the movie. Having read the Grisham novel, she was familiar with the story and to see Gene Hackman and Dustin Hoffman together would be great. Unfortinately, or perhaps fortunately she remembered how much she disliked going to the movies, too many thoughts in the theater always ruined it for her. '_SHIT! I never thought of that for the Fangtasia Party. I'll just nap during the day and pack Excedrin_.' She looked up at Eric who had been smiling and was now stone faced, she wasn't sure what had happened to ruin the mood but she was honest. "Eric, I don't think it's a good idea to go to the movies."

Eric immediately thought she just didn't want to go with HIM, not understanding her reasoning and he sniped. "Very well, enjoy your book" and he turned to leave.

"Eric." He kept walking. "ERIC!" No response. "ERIC, Please stop!"

He stopped, but did not turn to face her and replied, "Why Sookie? So you can tell me you don't want to spend time with me?"

"No, I was just going to say I was tired and thought a movie here would be better. I had an early appointment for my measurements, came home with a headache, then spent much of the day tweaking the garden plans. I ran out of time to eat and shower before you got up. By the time I get those tasks done and we head to the late show, I'll be too tired to enjoy the movie." He finally turned around. "Remember you asked me once to give you a chance to explain? Can we both do that?"

"You're right, I shouldn't have assumed. Why don't you fix a plate and we'll eat in the den?"

"_We'll_ eat?"

"I have my goblet."

"Just what do you have in that goblet anyway, I never see True Blood here? And yes, I really want to know."

"I have bagged blood available in between donors."

"Oh, the fridge in the garage?"

"Yes."

"Will my bulbs be a problem? I was planning to keep them in there; I just never looked IN the fridge yet."

"They won't be a problem, but if you don't want to see the blood, I can order you a separate refrigerator."

"Nah, I'm fine. But let's eat in the kitchen; I never eat in front of the TV. Should I heat your blood, I mean, what do you do with it?"

He stared at her, frozen that she would even offer. '_Where is the pod and who stole the Sookie that wouldn't even want to discuss blood_?' He wondered to himself.

"Eric?"

He snapped out of his thoughts. "Sookie, you just took me by surprise asking about the blood. I was just wondering." He chuckled.

"What, what is so funny?"

"You're going to be mad."

"ERIC." She said in a warning voice. "Tell me."

"I was wondering where the pod is, and who stole my Sookie. Two weeks ago you would've stormed out of the room if I even told you about blood in the refrigerator."

"No, two weeks ago I wouldn't have cared about the blood. I get that this is your diet; I really don't have an issue with that. In fact, I probably would've prepared Pam a goblet as well – yes, even two weeks ago. I just wouldn't have prepared one for _YOU_."

"What changed?" He asked with a small smile.

"Don't get yourself all excited over there - I'm not planning to suddenly fulfill the role of your companion. I just….I see that you….I know that there is more to you than the scary vampire who bit me the first day and well all the other bad stuff." He beamed and she quickly reminded him. "I said, don't get yourself excited."

"I can be excited that every night is not a fight though."

"Very well. Now, are you going to show me what to do with your bagged blood?"

"Sure. There are many things I can show you Sookie." He licked his lips a little bit.

She shook her head at his advanced. "Just show me how to heat up the blood for now."

Shortly after they both finished dinner, they were seated in the den waiting for the movie that Eric had selected to start. The Hulk started playing and Sookie turned to him. Eric expected comments about picking a guy movie but again Sookie surprised him. "This doesn't come out until Tuesday, how do you already have it on DVD?"

"How do you know the date of its release?"

"I asked you first, but I'll answer anyway – I like Marvel Character movies, Superheros and stuff, I didn't see this in the theater, so was planning to rent it. Now you, buddy. How do you already have it?"

"Buddy?" He chuckled but answered her. "I own the DVD rental store. Tuesday releases actually arrive to our store on the Friday before so we can mark them for sale."

"OOOH, can we get Finding Nemo early then? I wanted to see that."

"We can, but I'm not sure you'll have me as a partner on the couch for that one. Perhaps Pam or Potts. I'm still curious, you kept Tolstoy and Dickens novels, but you follow superhero movies?"

"Yeah, so sue me. But do it later, the movie is starting."

"Yes, Dear."

The friendliness remained for the rest of the evening and Eric felt Sookie's happiness again when she left for bed. He called Godric to report.

"My son, how are you and Sookie?"

"Better. She seems to be over her depression, and has even opened up and is talking with me - willingly."

"Willingly? You have been forcing her?"

"Not forcing her to have friendly conversation, some business related discussions were required and she understood; it's not like I tied her down and forced her to listen."

"Ok, I just, well I worry." Godric turned and pulled Theresa onto his lap. She had stayed all these years under Godric's care. She had her own life, a career and some outside friends, but she never gave up her need to be with someone, and Godric took Eric's place. He found her to be a nice companion, though not his Maria.

"We are going to the Fangtasia Halloween party together next week. She will be Anna and I will be Vronsky. She's really quite excited. This is also a safe outing since she will be in a mask, her identity won't be given away."

"So for how long will you be keeping up the captive/missing story?"

"That's what I wanted to discuss with you."

"Go on."

"She misses her Gran, but even more than missing Gran, she is worried about her Gran's emotional state. This is why I would have returned her a few days ago."

"Eric, you wanted to return her after the first night."

"Yes, but you ordered me to keep her."

"I did. What are you asking now?"

"I want to give Sookie the relief she needs with her Gran. What do you think about this plan?" He then launched into describing what he and Pam had been discussing the past few nights. The plan was not simple, but he felt he owed it to Sookie. Sookie would call Gran and explain that she had worked out a deal to repay Jason's loan shark debt with the drug dealer's boss. The drug dealer's boss was in Shreveport and she would stay there and work off the debt for that guy at his casino. Godric poked the same holes in the story that Pam and honestly Eric did. How could a barmaid work off the debt that her brother couldn't unless it was something shady, which Sookie wouldn't do, or something related to sex, which Sookie also wouldn't do. "Godric, this is where Pam and I were stuck."

"I suppose that working in a casino in Shreveport would earn a higher salary than a bar in Bon Temps, but without glamour, I am not sure this 'Gran' would buy into it. Would Sookie balk too much at glamour?"

"I'll ask."

"WOW, you're going to ask first? Where is my Eric?"

"He's right here, doing EXACTLY what you wanted, Master. He cares for a human and has turned into a pansy." He ended the call before Godric could say anything else.

OOOoooOOOooo

The next afternoon when Sookie woke up, Potts had a surprise for her. When she entered the kitchen, Potts was sitting at the table, waiting with Bobby. '_Yay, Bobby_.' Sookie thought sarcastically and ignored him "Good day Potts! How are you?"

"Hello Sleepy Head, I'm great and I have a surprise. How are you this afternoon?"

"Curious; spill."

"Bobby is here to escort us to a gardening center out towards Marshall. Grab some grub so we can get going."

"What are we getting there?"

"Your bulbs, Miss Stackhouse." Bobby answered out loud with an eye roll, but Sookie heard him think she was an idiot for not knowing what we needed to get at the garden center when she was the one who convinced the master to spend all this extra money on flowers. He stopped her thoughts when he continued. "And whatever else you need to plan for the spring. Master has set up an account for your use at this center, I will of course, authorize the purchases."

Sookie was so excited she grabbed a banana and said, "I'll eat on the way."

"Not in the car you won't." Bobby sneered.

Potts cut in. "Bobby, is this the respectful behavior that Eric expects you to have with Miss Stackhouse?"

He glared at Potts; then turned on his heel with his car keys. "Let's get this outing over with."

Sookie used the driving time to review her garden plans and create a shopping list. She checked with Bobby and Potts several times about what Eric might already own for gardening and finally Bobby just yelled at her, "For fuck's sake Sookie, just buy what you want. He employs a landscaping service; I don't think he owns anything specifically for the type of gardening you're doing. Jesus Fucking Christ, it's not like it's your money." Potts glared and Sookie just stayed quiet for the rest of the ride.

As soon as they arrived, Potts handed Sookie a hat and sunglasses as a disguise and Bobby explained he needed to speak with the owner about the account since it was just set-up, so they all went in search of the office. Bobby found a sales girl to ask. Her name tag said, 'Bambi' and Sookie actually giggled under her breath at her name. Given the glare that Bambi gave her, she'd heard it. Potts caught on right away and when Bambi left to get the owner, she turned to her giggling friend and whispered, "With a name like Sookie, you'd think you could be more mature about other names."

"Couldn't help myself." They both burst out laughing while Bobby stood appalled at their behavior.

Bambi and the owner returned and Bobby explained the account for Mr. Northman. Bambi's eyes grew wide at the mention of Eric's name. Sookie was curious about her reaction, so she dipped in to take a peak.

She saw Eric taking Bambi to his office, bending her over (well, she didn't see it; she was remembering it from Bambi's position looking over the desk). She heard the nasty words that Eric spoke to her and she felt Bambi's shame as she relived that moment. What puzzled her was, even after what Eric said, Bambi was still jealous of Potts and her for obviously being with 'the Master'. How pathetic. Now Bambi's head was full of nasty hateful things about her and Potts. How fat she was, how ugly Potts was. How she didn't see any fang marks on either of us. Some of the thoughts turned hurtful and Sookie found she was actually a little afraid of being around Bambi.

She ignored Bambi and focused on her shopping list. They filled the back of Eric's SUV with bulbs, planting tools, seed starter kits and growing lights. Sookie had added a vegetable garden to her plans for the yard, and she and Potts picked their favorite's to grow. She wanted to be excited about her purchases and the fun she would have planning and planting, but both Bambi and Bobby's thoughts were wearing on her. Staying at Eric's and away from other humans, she found she was out of practice with her mind reading shields, and she grew tired about an hour into the shopping trip and had to drop them. That meant she heard EVERY snide remark from Bobby about her spending the master's money and every jealous remark from Bambi about how Sookie didn't deserve Eric.

By the time they got home and unpacked the car, she was exhausted and grumpy. Potts suggested a late lunch but she declined. "I only want to sleep."

"Sookie, you only had a banana today."

"I'll eat later."

OOOoooOOOooo

Eric rose, showered and started work on Norse Enterprises, all while enjoying Sookie's restful feeling from her nap. When the sun set, he went upstairs, still curious that Sookie was asleep. "Potts, did anything happen today? I'm surprised that Sookie is asleep."

"She returned from the shopping trip exhausted. Bobby was an ass, and it seemed like the sales girl didn't like us from her glares, but otherwise, nothing remarkable. Oh, and she really hasn't eaten. I have class, so I thought you should know, you know – so you or Pam could encourage her. And tell Pam, NOT just pastries."

"I'll take her something."

"Oh, do you want me to put together a sandwich? I just made chicken salad for dinner."

"Show me."

Potts was shocked, instead of just having her do it, he wanted her to show him? She kept her mouth shut and took him to the kitchen and prepared a plate with a sandwich for Sookie. Eric thanked her and she was off to class. The sandwich plate, drink and a pastry were loaded onto a tray and he made his way up to her bedroom. A quick check of his bond found her awake.

"Sookie." He knocked quietly.

"Yes, Eric?"

"I have some dinner for you."

"I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten."

"Please let me sleep."

Eric persisted; worried that she would go into her depression again. "Sookie, Potts asked me to make sure you eat. I promised; do you want me to break a promise?"

"Guilt Eric?"

"Is it working?" He stood while she said nothing. He added then, "Sookie, I'm worried."

She sighed and offered, "Come in."

He entered and set the tray on the bed while she sat up. "Thank you."

"What happened today?"

"I just got a headache and tired while we were out is all. I'm not getting depressed again."

"Do you want to go to Fangtasia with Pam and me tonight?"

"How can I do that?" She then added in a snarky tone, "I'm missing, remember."

Not taking the bait for a fight he replied with no emotion. "You can stay in the office."

She backed down when he didn't snipe back. "Thanks for the offer, but I think I need a quiet evening. Anna, Vronsky and I have a date."

"Ok. Will you be up when I get home?"

She sighed. She hadn't wanted to be friends with Eric. She certainly didn't want to get in the way of girls like Bambi. Going to Fangtasia meant listening to all those voices. She wanted to save her strength for Halloween. "I don't know. I guess I'll see if the headache is really gone or not."

"You get headaches frequently."

"Yeah, always have."

He thought for a few minutes then announced his decision. "I'll send for a doctor."

"Eric, there is no need. I just take some Excedrin when I get them and I'm good."

"You don't seem good to me." He said, as he started dialing the phone. "Ludwig, this is Northman. My human is ill. I need you to meet me at Fangtasia in an hour." Eric certainly wanted to get a handle on these headaches. She got them often and that could be a problem. Pop culture also had something about 'having a headache' as an excuse for no sex; something he didn't want to find out if it was true or not later.

Sookie couldn't hear the words, but she could hear some yelling while Eric was quiet.

"Fine, you can meet her here. I'll wait to go in."

She heard more yelling and it seemed that Eric cut her off, "I understand she'll be YOUR patient; I won't interfere." … "Yes, I'll pay extra." … "Fine, 30 minutes."

"The doctor will see you here in about 30 minutes."

"ERIC! I. AM. NOT. SICK. You're acting like a OVERBEARING JERK!"

"Keeping you healthy is my job, and I won't take any chances. Now, eat your dinner so you can freshen up before she gets here."

"I don't want my dinner. Just leave me alone."

"Sookie."

"Take it away."

"No."

"Fine." She got up, took the tray from the bed and stomped down the stairs to the kitchen. Even though he was pissed at her behavior, he had to admit he enjoyed her show. Sookie had taken her nap in a tank top and underpants. Sheer. Pink. Boyshorts. That's it. He snickered to himself at the view and the fact that Sookie was so mad; she didn't realize what she had done.

"SOOKIE! You look scrumptious!" He heard Pam coo to Sookie followed by Sookie cursing. By the time he made it to the kitchen, Sookie was bright red from embarrassment. It didn't help that Pam was literally licking her lips while she leered.

"Knock it off Pam; I'm not in the mood."

"Yes Crumbcake, I heard your signature stomp. Too bad I missed the resulting boob bounce as well – especially a bra-less boob bounce." She turned to Eric. "Well, Prince Charming, what did you do tonight to cause this?"

"ME?! She stomped off for no reason."

Pam raised her eyebrow at him. "Really? State your case." Pam loved this. Inter mediating and putting Eric in his place for anything related to Sookie really made her happy – almost as happy as shoes. Eric (hardly) ever reprimanded her for speaking her piece when it came to Sookie. Ready to yell at him for his behavior, she leaned back against the counter and waited.

"I called a doctor for Sookie."

Pam gasped and turned to Sookie, concerned. "Sookie, are you ill?"

"It's just a headache" Sookie replied as she glared at Eric. "A HEADACHE you high handed jerk!"

"Sookie, I have to give this one to Eric. You've had several headaches, some of them bad enough to put you in bed– AND you've only been here for two weeks. This could be a problem."

Eric stood tall, his arms crossed over his chest and a smug smile on his face. "I knew I was right. You should go get ready for your appointment."

"Assholes! Both of you."

He yelled up the stairs. "I'm putting your dinner in the refrigerator for you DEAR, so you can eat it later. You know when Ludwig yells at you for not eating."

"BITE ME!"

"Is that an invitation? I'll be right up." He laughed when he heard her growl from upstairs.

Wondering about Eric's call to his Maker, Pam asked Eric to join her in his office. She questioned him about Godric's opinion on the plan. She knew Eric had high hopes that Godric would have a solution to the problems in their plan OR allow him to return Sookie home, though he really wanted her to stay, just not as his captive. The fact that Godric was not permitting Sookie to leave AND he also saw the gaps in their plan saddened Pam. She liked her little breather and wanted to help remove her concerns for Gran. Before they could finish their conversation, the guards called informing them that Ludwig had arrived, so Pam left to greet Ludwig while Eric went to inform Sookie.

When he got to her room she was dressed and ready to greet Ludwig, but she was still mad. "Sookie, you need to behave in front of Ludwig, remember."

"Yes, master."

"You don't need to call me master in front of Ludwig, you just can't defy me."

"Yes she can Northman." Came a gruff voice behind Eric.

Sookie peeked past Eric to see a very short, grumpy looking woman. The height difference was comical, but when Ludwig 'ordered' Eric to step aside, AND HE DID, Sookie had to control her urge to laugh out loud. She turned to Eric and kept talking while she pulled some medical instruments from her bag. "I don't talk in the supe circles; and Goddess knows you need a human that can stand up to you. If she didn't I would worry and call your maker – and you know what I mean. So just swallow your pride giant and let me check your patient."

"I will remain here so I can understand why she is ill."

"I told you she was my patient and her wellbeing is not your business unless she tells you. Give her permission to speak freely and leave." She pointed out the door. "And don't bother trying to listen; I'm putting up a privacy spell."

They stared at each other for a few minutes. It felt so long that Sookie started to fidget from being uncomfortable, but eventually Eric informed Sookie to share any information in confidence with the doctor and he left.

Ludwig examined Sookie, recorded her background health history, and asked her about how she came to live with Eric. Ludwig knew about Godric's request of Eric. When she had been called to help with the rehabilitation of Theresa she learned the entire history from Godric. Why Godric told her, she never understood, but he did and she vowed to herself to keep a close eye on Sookie to prevent another Theresa situation.

It was when she drew Sookie's blood that she started to put the pieces together about the girl. As a healer, Ludwig ran regular medical tests with labs, but she also tested the blood herself by taste. Vampire, likely Eric, Fae and a tiny bit of Daemon were what she tasted; that and the headaches could only mean….

"Sookie, you understand you can speak to me in confidence?"

"Yes. But I have nothing to say, I just get headaches."

"From your telepathy?" Sookie's eyes grew wide and started to tear up and breathe erratically. "Calm yourself or your vampire will be up here wondering about your panic."

Too late. He pounded on the door. "Sookie, what's wrong?"

Since the privacy spell was in place, Ludwig needed to crack the door to tell him that Sookie just didn't like the needle and he should go back downstairs.

"Now, where were we – ah yes, your telepathy. I take it Northman does not know?"

"No. My disability has only ever caused me trouble. Do you know other telepaths? I mean, how did you guess?

"First, it's not a disability, but I can understand why you feel that way. For how I guessed, I can't really explain how I figured it out – it's a little more than just one thing. Just know that I'm not going to tell your vampire. But, if you're staying here, and it appears that you are, you WILL need to tell him eventually. For now, to get him off your back, we'll tell him you are just under stress from the move and that you're worried for your Gran. I'll assure him that the headaches are not a problem and if the blood work shows anything different, I will call YOU. I will also come out to see you once a month. That should satisfy his arrogant ass."

Sookie just giggled. "How do you get away with talking to him like that?"

"I talk to everyone like that."

"You haven't been like that with me."

"I might actually like you. Just don't tell anyone."

With Sookie's permission, Ludwig called Eric up to her room and summarized her findings. Eric was not happy with the assessment, but he accepted it. That he was the cause of her headaches, because he was the cause of her adjustments, ate at him, but there was nothing he could do. He was pleased that Ludwig reinforced Sookie's need to eat a bit more regularly than she's been doing. Sleeping more during the day to be up with vampires is OK, she'd informed Sookie, as long as she kept to a routine. Sookie accepted the advice. Once Ludwig left, he knew he needed to head to Fangtasia, but he really didn't want to leave. However, with the Halloween party on Friday, there was too much to do at Fangtasia to allow him to stay home. It wasn't until he saw her eating her previously ignored dinner that he felt comfortable enough to head to the bar.

When he arrived at Fangtasia, Pam cornered him immediately wanting to know about the results of the doctor's visit. At the mention of her health, Pam felt guilt from Eric. "Why do I feel guilt? I felt it earlier. Actually, it took me a minute to identify it as guilt since we NEVER feel guilt. What have you done now to Sookie?"

"Apparently the headaches are the result of her stress from the move and her worry about her Gran."

"Did she give her something to stop them?"

"No, Sookie has already been treating them correctly."

"You're pretty late getting here, what else did they discuss?"

"Ludwig put up a privacy spell, they did discuss plenty of stuff I'm sure, but I have no idea what."

"We need to discuss your thoughts on Gran with Sookie. She can make a decision about glamour and try to ease that worry."

"I agree, let's get our work done here and go home early."

OOOoooOOOooo

The first thing Eric noticed when he saw Sookie in the den was that Anna Karenina was on the coffee table, and The Woman in White was now in Sookie's hands. It pleased him that she was as voracious a reader as he was, and not fluff. She smiled when he entered the den and he felt something 'warm' inside from it.

"Is your headache gone?"

"It is thank you for asking. I told you it was nothing to worry about."

"It doesn't hurt to be sure." He sat at the end of the couch and took Sookie's feet in his hands. She already gave blanket permission for foot rubs and if it meant he could have his hands on her, then all the better. The moans of pleasure started right away.

"Oh, that feels good Eric. We did all that walking at the garden center. I will concede on one thing bad about Wal-Mart: Their shoes don't provide proper support.

"Then we'll get you better shoes, yes?"

"Ok."

He noted that she was very compliant while her feet were being rubbed. "Pam will join us in a minute; we want to talk about something."

Pam settled into the den, smiling at the comfort that Sookie now seemed to have with Eric. She knew after a few minutes into the conversation; that was going to change since the topic was not going to be easy for Sookie. She steeled herself, preparing for her friend's pain.

Eric started. "Sookie, we both know how you have been worried about your Gran."

And there it was: the smile left Sookie's face and was replaced by a frown. She sat up straighter, causing her feet to pull from Eric's lap. Pam could see and feel that Eric didn't like the reaction, but they both knew it was going to be difficult. "Why bring this up? Haven't I already had a bad day?"

"Sookie, we want to remedy the situation." Pam quickly explained. She and Eric agreed that Pam should lead, since Sookie was less inclined to snipe at her.

Sookie narrowed her eyes in suspicion and asked. "How?"

"We want to have you call your Gran." Before any other words were spoken, Sookie started tearing up.

"I can call Gran?"

"Yes, but hang on and listen to the whole thing, there are decisions you need to make." Sookie roll her hand to hurry Pam along. "We think we can add to the ruse of Jason's capture and then your kidnapping by the drug dealers. We planted that Jason was taken by the drug dealers in payment for his outstanding loans. Our planned story is: You were taken by the drug dealers to their boss, a casino owner in Shreveport. You willingly agreed to work off Jason's debt, so he could remain with the baby."

"How would I work off the debt?" Again, she was suspicious.

"That's the tricky part. We know your Gran wouldn't believe you would do anything illegal or immoral, so we need to convince her that you are going to work in a casino making more money than you could at Merlotte's to pay of Jason's debt faster." Pam stopped talking to give Sookie time to absorb the plan so far.

'_If I can convince Gran of this, I can still talk to her and she won't worry. Perhaps if Gran thought I was using my telepathy, she would believe it more, but how can I get that across without telling Eric or Pam. Do I even need to keep it a secret? For now, yes. I want to talk to Gran. I want her to stop worrying. Maybe I'll even swallow my pride and let Eric give me money to send Gran to help out. God, I hate that last part, but it seems every day I spend more of his money and I'm losing that battle anyway. I just wonder why we can't just tell Gran the truth._' Finally finished with her internal discussion, she turned to Pam. "This could work, if Gran was convinced. Can I make some suggestions?"

"Go on."

"Why not tell Gran the truth?" Eric immediately started shaking his head. "Give me a minute to explain."

"Ok, but don't get your hopes up, that is NOT what I had in mind."

"I know, but think about it. How different IS the fake story? For Gran to believe it, she has to believe that Jason would be taken again if I didn't stay with my captor. This way we don't need to add the debt to why I'm staying. THAT would have been harder for her to believe. She would always wonder how I could ever earn enough to cover his debt as a waitress."

"Well, Sookie, we planned to use glamour."

"I don't think you'll need it. If I can explain the situation and that I'm here willingly to keep Jason free, she'll understand. Then you can glamour the police who are out looking for me that I've been found, and I'm staying in Shreveport to avoid the fanfare of a return home to Bon Temps. Maybe add that they witnessed a small reunion with Gran."

"I don't know your Gran like you do. I'm just not sure about this."

"Can we just try it my way; then watch her? I know you have resources you can send as spies. They can see if she talks to others in town like she is convinced, ensure that she confirms to the local police that she's seen me, and hopefully, let us know that she kicks Jason's ass for starting this whole damn thing to begin with."

Impressed with her thought process, Eric spoke up. "This idea has merit, my little strategist. I think we can make that work." He watched as Sookie smiled broadly "Would you like to call Gran tomorrow when I rise? I'm assuming 3AM is not a good time for her."

Sookie beamed. "Yeah, calling Gran tomorrow would be great."


	15. Something There

**Last one before I have the final push to get ready for our party on Sunday! Enjoy it and PLEASE REVIEW. I know I shouldn't feel this way – but I compare my story (if you read me before you know I do this), to others and I just don't understand why I have so few reviews. This is the pity A/N just to be clear!**

**~mags**

Chapter 14 – Something There

October 29, 2003

Shreveport, LA

When Eric rose for the night, Sookie was sitting in the kitchen, anxiously waiting for him. Her smile was the biggest he'd seen yet, and while that pleased him, it also saddened him since all he could offer was phone calls with Gran. He needed to be sure that Sookie's story would work before he could commit to anything more. "I take it you're ready to call her?"

Potts answered, "She's been driving me nuts all day. Please do it right away so she can calm down. She has me jittery from all her nervous energy."

"She'll need to wait for a short bit, we need Pam."

"Well, go get her then!" Sookie yelled.

"It's Pam, Sookie. She's doing her hair."

"She doesn't need her hair styled to watch me make a phone call for Christ's sake!"

"Sookie, it's Pam, it'll be a while. I can think of something to occupy our time." He said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"I'm good with just sitting here waiting, thanks."

To Sookie, it seemed to be hours later when Pam finally joined everyone in the kitchen. Sookie yelled at her for taking her time, but she just teased her about being overly anxious. Eric suggested that Pam and Sookie join him in the office for the call to Gran. He explained that he had Weres at the farmhouse and they confirmed that Gran was home alone. "I also have Indira in the woods. She's the vampire with the talent for glamour that I mentioned to you before. I know you don't want to glamour your Gran, but if she becomes too upset or tries to contact help, we may need her help."

"Ok, it's a backup."

"Yes, always have backup plans Sookie."

"Like you did when you couldn't glamour me?"

"Good one Sookie. Are you ready?"

She nodded enthusiastically and Eric pushed the phone to her and she dialed. "Come on Gran, answer!" Sookie said while she bounced her leg impatiently. Finally, after the 4th ring she heard her Gran and Sookie yelled her name into the phone before Gran finished saying hello.

"Sookie, is that you baby?"

"Yes Gran it is."

"Where are you?"

She looked at Eric and he nodded. "In Shreveport Gran. Before you start with a million questions, I'm OK and I can explain what happened."

"You're OK? Really?"

"I am. Did Jason make it home alright?"

"He did but he was tore up that he left you there to get help, and by the time the police made it back you were gone."

"Yeah, um, what did he tell you? Did he tell you about the money he owes?"

"Oh yes, and I was so mad I smacked the tar out of him when he told me."

"Good Gran, he deserved it." She hesitated and Pam squeezed her hand to encourage her. "The thing is Gran, Jason wasn't kidnapped for owing money to the drug dealing loan sharks." She hesitated. "Gran, he was taken because he helped Amy kidnap and drain a vampire so he could take V."

"WHAT?! I'm gonna kill him!"

"Gran, hang on, there's more."

"Ok baby. You tell me."

"Gran, some of what Jason told you was true. I did manage to find where he was being held. You see Gran; crimes against vampires are handled by vampires outside our legal system. Under vampire law, Jason could've been killed for what he did to that vampire. Amy was killed 'cause she actually staked the vampire they kidnapped."

"My lord! How horrible! That poor man. I never liked Amy but I didn't think she was capable of murder."

Eric remained quiet but inside he was trying to figure out these Stackhouse women. '_She is learning that her grandson was being held for a crime and she is expressing sympathy for a vampire she never knew. AND just like her granddaughter, she calls vampires men. Puzzling.'_

"I know I was right mad at Jason for sure. Well Gran, the thing is the vampire in charge informed me that the punishment for Jason's crime was his life; he was just going to keep Jason alive rather than dead." Sookie took a breath and was a little unsteady when she continued. "Gran, with Dawn being pregnant and all, I made a deal with the vampire keeping Jason. I traded myself for Jason. I'm going to stay here with the vampire in place of Jason."

"Sookie?"

"It's fine here Gran. I'm living in a mansion with the vampire and I have a daytime companion – she's really nice. Oh, and I'm working on the gardens here, I picked up a ton of bulbs to plant at the beginning of the year."

"Can I see you baby girl?"

She answered the question as they practiced. "Not right now, but he's slowly giving me more privileges, maybe that can happen soon."

"Sookie, this just isn't right. I get that Jason did something horrible, but now you're being punished for it."

"Gran, if I leave, Jason goes back. The vampire here answers to even more powerful vampires. If he doesn't enforce this, he'll be in trouble. We also CAN'T discuss this with anyone, as far as Bon Temps knows, Eric helped me get away from Jason's kidnappers and I chose to stay in Shreveport with him."

"Sookie, I still think we should call Bud and tell him to go get you."

Eric started to grow concerned that Sookie' plan was not going to work. He pulled his phone out to dial Indira. Sookie put a hand on his arm and pleaded with her eyes. She continued on. "Gran, Dawn is pregnant, Jason needs to be with her, not dead, or kidnapped, or beat-up. If you call Bud, he'll still be in trouble per the human law. He kidnapped and drained a vampire."

Gran was quiet for a few minutes before breathing out and acknowledging Sookie's logic. "I hate that you're right baby girl. I get it; this is where we are right now. That doesn't mean I don't want you figuring out a way to visit me and maybe someday getting out."

Eric nodded and put his phone away, impressed with Sookie and her Gran's pragmatism.

"Gran, how are you doing with the bills?"

"Everything is fine Sookie. I hope you don't mind but I did need to use the insurance payout from your car being totaled. Sam also dropped off your last pay and I'm pretty sure it was more than you would have normally made. Oh and someone is looking at the back acreage finally. I'm staying afloat for now."

Sookie and Gran spoke for a while more, and Sookie steered the conversation towards Bon Temps gossip. Pam and Eric remained in the office, but worked on their laptops while she chatted with Gran. Sookie ended the call a while later assuring Gran that she would call her weekly until she could make arrangements to visit. Gran cried a little when they were saying goodbye, and that caused a chain reaction with Sookie. "Sookie, you're sure you're OK?"

"I am Gran. I'm even celebrating Halloween at a party tomorrow. I need to do this for Jason and the baby."

"I miss you baby girl."

Sookie sobbed in then answered. "I miss you too Gran."

After she hung up, Eric started to speak but she just shook her head and ran out of the office. When he got up to follow Pam stopped him. She explained that she would most likely resent Eric at the moment, and she was sure there would be another fight, a setback or both. Reluctantly, he agreed and Pam went.

"Sookie." She knocked.

"Seriously, I can't have a few moments to wallow?"

"You can, I just wanted to offer to come in if you want company."

"I don't."

"Come on my sweet croissant, I need to hear about your final dress fitting for Halloween."

"I'm not going to the party."

"Sookie, you told your Gran you're going; you've been so excited. Eric wanted you to go."

"I don't care what Eric wants. I'm nothing but his puppet, I'm just nothing. He can take Bambi or one of his other whores for all I fucking care."

"Bambi? Sookie, can I please come in so we can discuss this?"

"I want to be alone."

"I'll come back after work."

"I'll be asleep."

Pam turned and left, but she walked right into Eric. It appeared he heard the conversation and at first Pam thought he came to talk, but he looked … pissed? Now she was concerned. What was he going to do? Pushing him back wasn't working. "What are you doing?"

Ignoring Pam as she kept trying to pull him back, he pounded on the door. "Sookie," He bellowed. "l'm coming in."

"Fuck you."

He opened the door and found her crying in the bed. "Why did you just mention Bambi? How could you possibly know her name?"

'_FUCK! Sookie thought, I did it again_.' She didn't answer him and instead put on a defiant face. In reality, she needed the moment to think about how to answer. '_I guess I'm just going to throw Bambi under the bus, if you will. I'll say she said something to me at the garden center_.'

She took too long to answer and Eric bellowed, "Answer me."

"She said something to me at the garden center where she works about you guys being together. I think she was jealous of Potts and me after hearing that we were there shopping with your account."

"The garden center?"

"She works there. If you're her boyfriend, wouldn't you know that?" She looked up, and raised her chin in a challenging position.

"Sookie, don't taunt him when he's pissed, please." Pam pleaded.

"Go to Fangtasia Pam." Eric ordered.

"Eric."

"Go, or be punished."

Pam was horrified at Eric's reaction to the whole conversation. She was scared for her friend; and she was scared that Eric was going to cause a huge set-back. Now that he was so angry, she knew he wouldn't calm down and listen. The best she could do was leave and arrange to come back before Eric later so she could do damage control with Sookie. She made one last plea to Sookie to please back off and she turned and left.

Eric stood tall with his arms crossed over his chest while he waited to hear Pam's car leave the garage. He turned to Sookie and said. "You're keeping something from me."

"I don't understand, we've known each other for just over two weeks, of course you don't know everything about me."

He felt a pang of panic as she answered. He wanted to know the cause of these feelings that did not match her answers. Making himself as intimidating as possible, he used his height to loom over her as she lay below him in the bed. "Of course you're right about that, but I'm not talking about the name of your first boyfriend Sookie. You have something that causes you pangs of panic when you answer some of my questions, but you should not be feeling the panic. Your feelings and your answers don't match. What are you keeping from me?"

She stood to try and reduce the difference in their heights. "I don't know what you mean. I don't know about these panics. Could you possibly be so unaccustomed to human emotions that you aren't reading it right?" She worked very hard to steel herself as she spoke.

"No. I just asked you why you know about Bambi, and your first reaction was panic. Why?"

"ERIC, I didn't mean to mention her at all, I was just upset. Of course I panicked because I found out about a girlfriend or whatever she is. I thought you would be mad that I knew." The whole statement was a lie, but she hoped it would work. She then remembered the other thing that worked: tears. She thought back to saying goodbye to Gran and was able to muster up some tears. "I'm sorry Eric," she sobbed, "I was obviously upset at calling Gran and I just wanted to be alone. But Pam pushed too much and I just spoke without thinking."

The tears worked, and he actually moved to wrap his arms around her. Knowing she had dodged a bullet and not wanting to upset him further, she leaned into the hug. After a moment, he started sniffing her hair and she pointed it out. "Eric, are you sniffing me again?"

"Any chance I can get."

She laughed at Eric and started to pull away. "I really do want some time alone, and you need to work, remember?"

When he didn't let go, she added. "Besides, Pam might break a heel or something from pacing out of nervousness. You scared her."

"She doesn't scare that easy."

"Well I do and you really frightened me tonight."

"I know, I'm sorry. I just couldn't figure out how you could possibly know about Bambi. And Bambi is not a girlfriend. I don't have girlfriends. I have one companion, and that's you."

"Eric, you don't need to explain anything to me. We don't have any relationship."

"Yet Sookie. Yet. I'll leave you to your alone time. And next time you're upset, we'll try to respect your need for wallowing."

"Try?"

"I won't let you go back into your depression again."

"That's not happening tonight. I just need to process the call to Gran; my future."

"I'll check on you when I get home."

"Have fun."

Once alone, Sookie thought about her predicament. That he could read her emotions was scary – especially since he was right. When she had information from her telepathy that she blurted out, she panicked. If she really came across the information innocently, she shouldn't panic. '_I've got to get better at keeping information from people's heads to myself. He's going to figure it out if I keep making these mistakes. The Halloween party is really going to be hard. All those minds; all those disgusting thoughts. At least I can come back to quiet. I may not like being in captivity, but I do like that I'm not Crazy Sookie here. It's nice to just be me._'

After her little reminder talk on her telepathy slips, she felt that a bath was in order. Once soaking, she had to admit she liked the tub here too.

OOOoooOOOooo

On his drive to Fangtasia, Eric considered the 'evidence' he was gathering about a possible secret Sookie was keeping. He was started to line up quite a list of clues, and he considered going to Bon Temps to glamour information out of some folks, even Jason or Sookie's Gran. In the end he decided that Sookie needed to trust him enough to tell her himself. He could wait.

When he arrived, Pam WAS pacing the back hallway when Eric arrived and he chuckled to himself that Sookie guessed that one correctly. "WHAT HAPPENED?"

"Nothing."

"NOTHING? You felt like you were going to kill something when I left. Did you hurt her?"

"No Pam, have a little more faith."

"Then what was that all about? Was it Bambi – she was a fangbanger we both had, right?"

He explained that it WAS the mention of Bambi that concerned him. Since he'd fucked Bambi once, he had no idea how Sookie would know the name. To make him even more concerned, when he asked about Bambi, Sookie panicked. Now he had Pam's attention.

"She panicked? Why?"

"She explained that she was afraid that she knew; that I would be mad at her for having found out about Bambi. When I tried to explain about Bambi, she just brushed it off, but Pam – she was jealous. I could feel it." He was grinning like a fool.

"You're acting like a school boy." Pam smiled. "I like it. I like her for you."

"Yeah, me too. ….. You know, Godric turned me into a sap."

"Let's finalize the plans for the Halloween party and then go out and scare the vermin. Maybe we can find a vampire to punish so you can get to be the badass that I know and love."

They both took their seats on the thrones as they watched the pathetic humans. As usual, Eric started tapping on his Blackberry and after they had been on the floor for a while, Pam could feel a spike in Eric's anger. "What are you reading over there?" Since Pam usually only surfed the fashion sites on her Blackberry, she was sometimes surprised at the work Eric did on the small device.

"Two of the other Louisiana Sheriffs have decided to join us for Halloween."

"Shit, Cleo and Gervaise are coming in." He nodded. "Do they expect you to put them up for the day?

"Yes, but I'll send them to a safe house." He pulled his hand through his hair as he often did when he was frustrated. "Pam, Sookie can handle acting the part, but she doesn't smell like me."

"Shit."

"So you keep saying. I'll give her the choice. But maybe you should be there to help."

She nodded her agreement; then looked around the club. "Are you picking someone for tonight?"

"I'm not in the mood."

"The RSVPs from Cleo and Gervaise deflated you."

"I don't know that I want her exposed to anyone, regardless of whether she smells of me or not. She also won't like the 'ceremony' involved with having other Sheriff's at Fangtasia – or the donor buffet."

"Eric, you can't keep her hidden at your house forever, she'll lose herself. As far as the 'ceremony', she needs to get used to it. Better now than later when things are really going well and then she sees the donor buffet for out of town hierarchy. I'll get several donors lined up for that, by the way; we'll use one of the rooms downstairs." She thought for a moment. "Why did Cleo and Gervaise change their minds anyway?"

"They want to stay and meet on Nov 1st about Fellowship of the Sun issues in their areas. Apparently, the radical religious group is expanding outside of Texas."

"Wonderful. Did you have any good news?"

"Yes, we're done for the night, Longshadow can close."

"THAT is good news."

OOOoooOOOooo

"Oooh. Don't stop."

"Ahh Sookie, you're finally starting to stir." Eric chuckled.

Pam snickered, "Sookie, it took you long enough, Eric's been rubbing those feet and legs for about a half hour now."

"It helps that her feet were already cold when I started, she didn't notice my cold hands." He motioned his head to the coffee table. "What's all this?"

Sookie stretched to wake up. "After you left I had a wonderful soak in the tub and I really got my creative juices flowing." Eric raised one eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something. Sookie stopped him. "I'm certain I just said something that would normally produce some lewd comment from you, but just refrain yourself or I won't tell you what all this is." He motioned for her to go on. "I started thinking about lighting."

"Lighting?"

"Yeah, landscape lighting. You know the garden plans for the spring call for bunches of new flowers, but I didn't include lighting. Well, I never thought of it before because I was never constrained to what could be enjoyed in the dark. Well, landscape lighting can really add to the garden. I mean, beyond some of the walkway lights and such you have now. Potts loaned me her PC and I started doing some research online but I don't know too much, so I only jotted some ideas down. You'll probably want to consult with an expert." Eric just stared at her. "What? Did I overstep? I'm sorry, I, you um, well you seemed so excited about the new plans; I thought this would enhance them. We can just stick to the original plans." She sat up and started to stack the papers on the table.

"No Sookie, I ….. leave the designs. I want to go through them."

"You didn't look like that at first, you're just humoring me."

"I'm not humoring you, I was stunned. That you would go to this trouble for a vampire's yard made me speechless."

"It wasn't trouble, I enjoyed it."

"Show me." He smiled at her when he asked.

They spent the next hour reviewing her research and plans. Every time Sookie tried to downplay her work or ideas Eric would turn her comments around and encourage or praise her. They both agreed that the electrical work would need to be handled by experts, but her actual designs appeared sound. Still, Sookie asked Eric to review the plans with a lighting or landscape expert before he invested any money. He said no. "We'll meet with these experts together and find someone who will mentor you."

"Really?"

"Sookie, I don't know if you understand the talent you have shown on both your garden and now overall landscape planning."

"It's just an interest Eric."

He wanted to discuss this more, but honestly, he didn't know how to address that he felt she had an opportunity to learn more and make this a career. '_Why would I encourage a career when I want her home with me? Companions don't work. I'll need to think about this.'_

He took the drawings and placed them back on the table. "Sookie, we'll talk more about your gardening later. I need to discuss something with you about the Halloween party."

"Judging by the look on your face, I'm not going to like it. Just get it over with, please."

He shook his head then told her the situation. "Two Sheriffs from other areas in Louisiana have decided to attend. They notified me tonight."

"Ok, so all that stuff about behaving means even more. Eric, I was already planning to behave as discussed since there are already going to be vampires from this area in attendance."

"It's more than that, Sookie." Pam started to explain.

Eric nodded, acknowledging Pam's point then continued. "Until I heard from these Sheriffs, only specifically invited vampires from my area were attending the party. Vampires I trust to keep our relationship quiet."

"Why does that matter?"

"Sookie, if it gets out to vampires I don't trust that I care for a human, you can be used against me."

"Against you, how?"

"You could be kidnapped to ensure I could be used by someone; a monarch from another state or someone even within this state that wants to expand their power base."

"You would, my kidnapping would … you… I…" Sookie struggled to understand.

"Sookie, we're getting off track. I need to explain about the Sheriffs." He said to Sookie, but he said to himself, '_and I'm dangerously close to admitting that if she were kidnapped, someone would have me as their puppet to get her back._'

"Ok, explain the sheriffs."

"Right now, you would really need to be perfect in your performance, or I would have to punish you, publicly. " Sookie swallowed hard. "That's only part of it. For me to keep you as a companion, it would be hard to explain why we haven't exchanged blood."

"You need to drink from me? You already did that once, I guess I can handle that."

"You also need to have my blood."

"I've had your blood."

"Not enough and too long ago now to smell it. If they don't smell my blood in you, they'll think I can't control you. It'll be hard enough explaining why we don't smell like we've been having sex. "

Sookie's eyes grew wide. "Vampires can _SMELL_ that?"

"They can smell if we've had sex, or in our case, that we have not. They will also smell that you're a virgin. We can probably explain that, but not the blood."

She didn't hesitate. "I'm staying home." She even stood to leave the room.

"Sookie." He stood and took her hand.

"I can't handle this right now. I was already nervous about screwing up and needing to be punished, but they're all going to smell my virginity? They're all going to wonder if you care enough about me that you just aren't fucking me; that I don't have enough of your blood for you to control me. That's what's gonna happen, right?" She started crying now and added while sobbing. "And you won't admit it, b … because that's why you changed the topic, that you do care for me and if I were kidnapped, it would be a problem. I didn't ask y … you to care for me. I c … can't deal with this anymore, it's t …. too much. Let m … me go."

After releasing her, he watched her run for the stairs. When Pam stood to follow her he reminded her that sometimes they needed to give Sookie space. She persisted and he reminded her of the blowup from before, when Pam had wanted to be supportive, but she pushed too hard and Sookie lashed out. "Give her a short while then go knock. If she lets you in, then fine, otherwise you leave her alone. I'll alert Potts to the situation."

"This sucks Eric. She wanted to go."

"I'll make it up to her. I have tickets to a symphony next week."

"I don't know that going to the symphony is going to make it up to her."

"Do you think we can arrange a visit with Gran?"

"I think we can, and THAT would certainly do it Eric. Would we bring Gran here, or take Sookie there?"

"Start planning to have Gran here first. We can also have her select some of Sookie's things for Bobby to pack."

"This is good." She moved to sit on the couch next to Eric. "She's right, isn't she? You'd kill for her; she's a weakness for you." He simply nodded and she grabbed his hand. "Then I'll stand with you for her. And, you're not going to like this, but I won't tolerate it if you hurt her either. She's my friend."

"YOU won't tolerate it?"

"Yeah, I know, you can do whatever you want, but it'll be a problem between us if you do."

"I don't plan to hurt her Pam, not just for your benefit either."

"I know. I'm just letting you know how I feel. It's crazy you know? We only met her two weeks ago and lord knows she doesn't return the feeling."

His eyes sparkled. "Remember, I can feel her feelings Pam, I wouldn't be so sure about that. There's something there "

"Really?"

"Really."

**A/N - did I mention I'd like reviews - go on - my next few days are gonna be HARD - you can make it a little better.**


	16. Call me Gran

**SURPRISE! The house is clean, the food is prepped and I'm giving you guys a chapter. WHY am I doing that when I should be in bed since my daughter has a super early hair appointment for her First Holy Communion? BECAUSE YOU DESERVE IT!**

**Your reviews and PM's and tips – OH MY GOODNESS you made me smile over and over. And the tips worked: more reviews, new followers and favorites! THANK YOU ALL!**

**Enjoy. Our roller coaster of fighting is coming to a close shortly – but that is not the end. I'm up to chapter 34 folks…. I so wish I could tell you what I have cooked up but you just HAVE TO WAIT!**

**~mags**

Chapter 15 – Call me Gran

November 1, 2003

"What are the plans for the Fellowship of the Sun?" Pam asked after the Sheriffs had left Fangtasia. It was the night after Halloween and Eric had met with the Sheriffs before they were leaving his territory.

"In Dallas, the Fellowship is quite vocal, and the vampires there are dealing with protestors outside their businesses. Cleo and Gervaise have vampires that reported very minor issues in their areas: name calling, throwing TrueBlood bottles, nothing more aggressive than that. They really wanted to know if we've had any reports. Luckily, the answer is no, so far."

"What are they doing about it?"

"Tracking and information gathering for now. They call the human police as needed. It really wasn't much of a meeting; I think they were just trying to get out of their areas for two nights."

"So Sookie sat home last night from the Halloween party for nothing."

"Pretty much. Has she talked to you yet?"

"Except for the conversation we had about the FBI glamour being complete we've discussed nothing besides nail polish colors or something equally as insignificant. How long are you planning to keep your distance Eric?"

"Her emotions are pretty much choking me right now. Anger and fear mixed with some of the depression we saw just days ago."

"They aren't just choking YOU."

"What do you mean?"

"She was so depressed last night it made you depressed and I didn't get to enjoy our special donors for our guests as much as I wanted to."

"Poor Pam didn't enjoy her orgy with the extra donors I paid for."

"Did you even bother to taste one yourself?" When he didn't answer she did for him. "Bagged blood again?"

"Leave it Pam."

"Fine, I won't say anything about your eating habits, but please tell me you'll talk to her tonight when we get home? I'm all ready for her surprise tomorrow. You want to be there to see it, right?" He nodded his head. "Then make nice later."

"If she's up."

The business with the other Sheriffs was over and Pam offered to close, even though it was a busy Saturday night so Eric could go home early. Sookie was eating a late snack when he walked in from the garage. Music was blaring from the radio, covering the sound of his arrival, so Sookie jumped when he greeted her. "No pastries tonight?"

"No, I'm trying to figure out what meals to eat when, and so far I know that late night, or rather I guess this is super early morning pastries cause heartburn. That or it's just the worry over everything that causes the heartburn. Who knows? I'll at least limit pastries to earlier in the evening."

"How was your evening?"

"Fine."

"Fine except for the crying?"

"Even though you feel them, can you sometimes pretend you don't? It's embarrassing and aggravating that you throw my emotions in my face. I mean, why ask how the evening was if you were just going to answer for me?"

"I ask in the hopes that you will talk to me about it."

"It's not the right time Eric."

"When will it be the 'right time'?" He grabbed her empty plate and loaded it into the dishwasher.

"Thanks. I'm going upstairs."

"Sookie, you didn't answer my question, when will it be the 'right time' to talk?"

"Maybe never Eric. Is it a condition of my captivity?"

"Sookie." He said in a frustrated voice.

"I'm going to bed."

He nodded and kept quiet. He wanted to yell out and force her to tell him about her crying. He wanted her to feel like she COULD share that with him and he would accept it and comfort her. He felt like a fucking pansy instead and he went to his chambers to simply work until dawn. Tonight he even found himself anxious for his brat to return home so he could talk about his unsuccessful chat with Sookie. '_Gods, once Sookie is finally mine and Pam stops worrying about it, she's going to tease me for centuries about all this girl talk. I'm not looking forward to that_.'

OOOoooOOOooo

The next night, Eric rose, unsure if Sookie's surprise would improve the situation or make it worse. Still, the plan was already in play and Sookie would be enjoying it just after he went upstairs. He focused on his shower, dressing and work for Norse until them. Pam would be returning to her home after tonight. She could have gone home after the Halloween party, but she claimed concern for Sookie's mood as a reason to stay longer. "Pam. Do you think this is a good idea? She may go back to her depression after the visit."

"We'll watch her. She needs this. Come on, I'm ready."

Now that Pam was ready, he made a quick call and they went upstairs in search of Sookie. He'd planned the day of the surprise perfectly since on Sundays, Potts and Sookie ordered either Pizza or Chinese, a no cooking night, they called it, and Potts was making a show of getting ready to order so Sookie wouldn't be suspicious.

The timing was perfect. Potts was pulling the take out menus from the drawer when he heard the front door open and an older woman's voice said. "Oh my Lord, this place is beautiful."

Sookie stopped dead, looked from Pam, to Potts then Eric expectantly. Eric nodded and she went running for the foyer. If Eric thought he felt strong emotions when Sookie and her Gran spoke on the phone, he now realized that was nothing. He was almost overcome with the huge feelings rolling off his tiny southern spitfire in the foyer. He could hear them both crying at their reunion and before he had a chance to meet Gran, he left for his office, claiming work as an excuse.

Meanwhile, Sookie almost choked Gran from hugging her too tightly. After giving Sookie and her Gran a few minutes, Pam walked into the foyer. Sookie immediately turned and introduced Pam to her Gran. "Pam, please meet my Gran, Adele Stackhouse; Gran, this is Pam Ravenscroft."

"Sookie, I spoke to Pam last night, she arranged for my visit today." Sookie turned and smiled at Pam.

Pam nodded to Gran, "It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Stackhouse."

Instead of nodding, as vampires do, or even just trying to shake Pam's head, Gran scared Pam by grabbing her in a hug. Frozen in Gran's embrace Pam could do nothing but hold her arms at her side and wait it out while Gran rocked her back and forth. "I'm so grateful for this opportunity to check on my baby girl. Thank you Pam." Pam could see Potts snicker from over Gran's shoulder, and she scowled in reply.

"You're very welcome Mrs. Stackhouse. I know how important seeing you was to Sookie." Gran finally stopped rocking Pam, and loosened her grip a little. "Would you like a tour of the house?"

"Pam, I told you last night I want to cook for Sookie, so that's what I need to do first. She looks like she's lost weight. Have you been feeding her?"

"Yes Mrs. Stackhouse. Lots and lots of pastries."

Gran gasped and turned to scold Sookie. "Pastries? Really?" Sookie glared at Pam and informed her Gran that it was other foods IN ADDITION to pastries.

After Sookie introduced Potts and Gran, the women walked into the kitchen with the bags Bobby had placed in the foyer from unloading the car. "What's all this Gran?"

"Fixins for dinner and dessert. Pam asked me to make a list for Bobby, and he shopped today while I packed some of your things. When he came back from the grocery store, we loaded the extra stuff and here I am! That Bobby certainly seems nice enough." She whispered the rest. "But his Mama didn't raise him to have manners."

"Gran, you don't know the half of it." Sookie said and gave her a knowing look. "But enough about asswipe, whatcha making for dinner."

Gran swiped at Sookie's butt. "SOOKIE, you watch your language."

"Sorry Gran, but honestly, if someone deserved to be called that, it'd be Bobby. You'll just have to trust me and give me a little leeway if he is part of the conversation."

"Ok baby girl, just don't make it a habit." She started pulling groceries from the bags. "Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and green beans sound good?"

"YUMM, are you putting bacon in the beans?"

"Of course."

"Potts, is that OK for you?"

"Oh, Sookie, Mrs. Stackhouse, I don't want to intrude on your dinner."

"Nonsense. I want to meet the folks that are keeping Sookie company. Pam, will you stay as well? Do you have any of that bottled blood?"

"I can stay and I'll prepare my meal."

"And where is this Eric?"

"I believe he's working Mrs. Stackhouse, I don't think he will join us." Pam was quick to answer. She could feel Eric's emotions and they were all over the place: guilt, sadness, frustration (probably at feeling so guilty). No, Pam knew it wouldn't be a good time to fetch Eric.

"Ok, but I hope to meet him before I go tomorrow."

"TOMORROW?!"

"Yes Sookie, when Pam called she told me to pack a bag. Bobby won't be driving me home until tomorrow evening." This news started another round of tears from Sookie until Gran told her to calm down, because she didn't come to watch Sookie cry.

Gran, Potts and Sookie all pitched in to prepare the meal while Pam watched from the counter. She noticed how Gran and Sookie moved gracefully in sync around the kitchen and Potts was off to the side. Obviously, Sookie and Gran spent a great deal of time in the kitchen together. Before long, a pecan pie was in the oven, potatoes were boiling and chicken was frying. Pam was grateful none of the foods smelled offensive to her, and she could truly sit and enjoy the company.

Pam found herself wanting to help, so she offered to set the table. Sookie immediately expressed concern over Pam handling the silverware. "Sookie, I'll be fine. Let me participate."

"Ok. It really won't hurt?"

"Not this stuff, Eric ensured there was no silver in it when it was purchased for Potts."

"Ok. You set the table. Wait, do you know how to set a table?"

"Yes, I just looked it up on the internet while you were cooking, I have an image here."

Dinner was eaten quickly and Pam commented on how much food Sookie could consume in one sitting. "I've never seen you eat this much at once Sookie, not even pastries."

Gran replied before Sookie could, since her mouth was full at the time. "What is all this talk about pastries?"

Since Sookie was able to respond now, she did. "Pam discovered on my first night here that I enjoyed chocolate cake. So she started having Bobby pick up a selection from the Shreveport Sweet Shoppe every day. Now she has an inventory of my favorites and Bobby purchases those – still every day so they are fresh."

"Pam, that's really sweet of you. Just don't spoil her."

"Spoil Sookie? Mrs. Stackhouse, Sookie is like Teflon with spoiling. We couldn't spoil her if we tried. She refuses gifts – even practical clothing, on a regular basis."

Gran turned to Sookie. "Sookie, I'm pleased you don't want to be spoiled, but you needn't be stubborn about clothing or other items that are practical."

"I'm not stub…."

Pam stopped her. "Do not even try to say you aren't stubborn. You take the prize."

Sookie wanted to respond. Her mouth opened and closed a few times while she tried to formulate a response, but she just couldn't. Pam was right and she knew it. She decided to change the topic instead. "Gran, how about that tour? We can do the house tonight, and tomorrow I can take you around the gardens, maybe get your opinion on my plans?"

"Lead the way."

Potts said goodnight and headed out for the evening before the tour started. The house was so large that the tour took a while, even though they skipped Eric's office since the door was closed. Gran thought Sookie's room was nice but it didn't feel homey so she asked Pam. "I packed some stuff from Sookie's room at home as you suggested. Can we hang stuff or display it in here?"

"Certainly Mrs. Stackhouse. I'll have Bobby spend the day tomorrow helping with that."

"Thank you Pam, and really, you can just call me Gran as everyone does."

Before Pam answered, she looked at Sookie to see if she had an objection. What she found was a huge smile on her face as she nodded. "Thank you … Gran" she said, almost like she was trying on the name for size. "I appreciate that."

"Now Sookie, after you look through those boxes, we have a kitchen to clean, then I thought we could play some cards."

"That's great Gran. Pam, you can join us." Sookie had started opening the boxes and squealed when she saw her CDs. Pam cringed when she squealed even louder at finding her the vinyl albums. "Gran, you packed Daddy's albums? Did you pack the turntable?" Gran nodded.

"I need to do some work myself, and I want you both to have some private time. Besides, all that squealing hurts my ears."

Gran did it again, she reached out and hugged Pam and rocked her, thanking her again for helping with the visit. Pam was relieved that Potts wasn't around to see it this time.

A few hours later, the kitchen was clean, Gran's bag was upstairs in a guest room, and Gran and Sookie had played several rounds of Gin Rummy. "Sookie, I wanted to meet Eric, but I'm just tuckered out. I'll have to call it a night."

"It is unusual for him to be in the office all night, but I guess he's really busy, or he's just afraid to meet you."

In the office, Pam snickered when Eric stiffened. They had both heard the comment and Pam knew that was actually partially (if not mostly) what was going on. Eric was afraid to meet Gran. He rose knowing he should just get it over with and Pam offered to collect Gran. "Why don't I bring her in here to meet you? I can keep Sookie company."

"I don't need to meet her alone, Sookie can hear our conversation."

"Eric. The woman is a spitfire just like Sookie. She's going to rip you a new one for what's happened to her 'baby girl' and you know it. Couple that with the barrage of feelings you've had already tonight and you are in for an uncomfortable meeting. You also know that you have to just sit and take it or Sookie will never forgive you. You can't scare her or punish her or glamour her. Get yourself together while I go collect Gran. Who, in case I didn't mention it already, has told me I can call her Gran."

"Pam, you mentioned it at least twenty times since you've come to the office. I believe the phrase is 'rubbing it in'."

"Yes, that's the phrase."

A few minutes later, Pam introduced Gran to Eric then stepped out of the room to rejoin Sookie. She wanted to stay, just to see Eric's face when he got his tongue lashing – but since she could hear everything from the den, she would have to settle for listening in only.

"Mrs. Stackhouse, I hope you've been enjoying your visit."

"I am and I appreciate that you allowed this." That was the end of the pleasantness from Gran. "What I don't appreciate is the fact that I need to make arrangements to visit my grandbaby in her prison. It's a very nice prison, lovely in fact – but a prison. She can't see her friends, she can't go off the property without an escort; she has nothing but a few books and her gardening to occupy her time. She will wither here Mr. Northman." He sat and let her continue, seeing from her angry stance that she was not done. "I truly understand the reality of the situation. Jason kidnapped and drained a vampire – a crime punishable under human law, so I can't really blame you for wanting someone to be punished. I think Sookie is incredibly brave and selfless to take on the punishment – but can nothing else be worked out? Is there no other way for you to get vampire justice? Who the hell do you all think you are having your own set of vampire laws anyway? Please Mr. Northman. Sookie looks so sad, she has bags under her eyes that weren't there before and she's lost weight. What do you want with her?"

Gran finally sat and looked at Eric expectantly. He'd been sitting in his office for hours pondering how he would answer this exact question. Just as Pam did, he knew this was coming and he tried to prepare the best way to answer. Now, even with all that time to prepare, he had nothing to say that he thought would help, but he dove in anyway. "Mrs. Stackhouse. I know you're upset and I know Sookie isn't the one who should be punished. That's why I moved her from the jail I kept Jason in. I wanted her to be comfortable. As Sookie mentioned on your call the other day, I report to other vampire management, and must provide documentation on the punishments I hand out. If I don't punish those who harm other vampires, I could actually be killed for not fulfilling my duties. We don't just get 'fired' as you would in a human situation. My management charged me with justice. Amy was killed for the vampire's death, and under vampire law, Jason should have also been killed for draining him. I did not kill Jason and instead kept him alive, but in prison. Taking Sookie in was a swap – a life for a life. Thankfully, the vampire's maker had already met his death, or he could have demanded the right to kill Jason. I hope that one day Sookie will not see this as a prison, or maybe someday after time has passed I can safely let her go, knowing that my management will not attempt to punish Jason for the crime, or me for letting her go.

As for whom we think we are? I'll answer in terms of the law that was broken here by a human. We are a group of creatures that are being taken and drained by humans; then being left to the sun. Often, these crimes are not even investigated by human police. I have also learned that now the Fellowship of the Sun is expanding beyond Texas and starting to protest vampire businesses and in some cases, going after and hurting my own kind simply for existing. Human laws have been lax in protecting my kind, while simultaneously imposing taxes and what I believe are unconstitutional requirements on my kind to report our whereabouts and details of our relationships to the government. As a vampire Sheriff, I have a responsibility to the vampires in this area to protect them from drainers. I can't let this go."

Gran nodded, understanding the logic. "I'm sorry about the lack of understanding by humans. I hope that just like Sookie and I don't think all vampires are bad, you realize that not all humans are bad."

"I have been learning that slowly in the past few decades. I agree. You do realize that you and Sookie are somewhat in the minority on your perspective. Not judging a group by the actions of just a few?"

"I know most of my friends are intolerant and bigoted and I'm sorry about that. I'm still not happy with Sookie's situation and I will likely hold it against you for a while. I must admit that I do understand, reluctantly from a logical perspective. Emotionally, my heart is broken that I'm separated from my baby girl and I won't get over that or your role in this situation anytime soon." He nodded; no words would have been useful as a reply. "I'm still curious about one thing." She paused then continued. "Mr. Northman, I appreciate that you did not kill Jason as you could have, so remember that when I ask - why didn't you?"

THAT question he did not expect. He was counting on her just being grateful and not really questioning the motives. What could he tell her that she would believe? It's not like Jason was a great conversationalist and that's why he kept him. He had no special skills as far as Eric could see – AT ALL. In the end, he decided on the truth, but he warned her. "I'll tell you, but you may not like the answer."

"It's not going to have something to do with homosexuality? Not that I care if that's what you like, but I don't need to hear it. I know Jason is pretty."

Eric actually wanted to laugh out loud but refrained, with difficulty. "No, no that's not it." He took an unnecessary breath and told her. "It was his blood. It tasted better than any other human." He looked to Gran for her reaction. Disgust, shock, fear – that's what he expected. What he saw was a flash of realization? What was THAT all about? "Mrs. Stackhouse, is there something I should know about your family?"

Gran, having walked in with no fear, prepared to ream a vampire out now looked scared as she answered. "I don't know what you mean Mr. Northman." He could tell it was a lie, but would not push tonight. She continued, "I was about to go to bed when Pam came for me. I think I'll head that way now."

"Certainly. Do you remember how to get back to the den?"

"I do. Thank you for allowing me to stay."

"Anything to help Sookie adjust." He said, and he meant it.

"Oh, one final thing Mr. Northman." He nodded for her to continue. "Do you have any idea who has been paying my bills or who suddenly bought some of my acreage?"

Eric's lips twitched, but he tried hard to maintain an innocent face as he replied. "I have no idea what you mean. But if I did, I'm certain that your benefactor is only trying to help both Sookie and you through a difficult situation."

"My guess is he or she also bought the new vehicles for the police department, maybe to make up for the money spent to try and find Jason and Sookie. Well, my benefactor should know that I can be stubborn about accepting charity, but in this case, I feel Sookie and I need that peace of mind. So I'd thank him if he was here." She turned and left the room before Eric could respond further.

The room was silent after Gran left and Eric continued to sit there and think about his conversation. He didn't even notice when Pam returned. "Well, what do you think that was all about?" She asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

"The family thing?" Pam nodded. "I have no idea. She came in fearless, and my question about the family scared her."

"You scared her?"

"Not like that, when I mentioned how Jason's blood tasted, she reacted. Not in a 'that's disgusting way' but rather, yeah, that makes sense. Then I asked her if there was something I should know and just asking the question made her scared. I didn't push as you heard, but I will get to the bottom of this eventually."

"I'm sure you will. While your pondering Gran's reaction, you might like to know that I discovered something that might make Sookie happy."

"Well, do share."

"Sookie has a cat at Gran's house."

"See if she wants it brought here, if so, have Bobby arrange it."

OOOoooOOOooo

Sookie enjoyed her day with Gran. After they arranged some family pictures and keepsakes in Sookie's room, with the help of a very grumpy Bobby, they moved outside. The afternoon was sunny and even a bit warm for November, so Sookie put on a bikini top with her shorts to soak up some sun. They walked the grounds with her landscape plans and Gran praised Sookie for her planning and even helped her tweak a few ideas. Adele was impressed with the tools that Sookie had purchased for her work. They were very high quality, quality that she had never been able to afford. She warned Sookie to take good care of the tools, since they should last a lifetime. Sookie burst out laughing at that. "What's so funny Sookie?"

"Who's lifetime Gran, mine or Eric's?"

"Oh my. That was unintentionally funny wasn't it?" Gran chuckled.

Gran cooked several meals with Sookie, and left them in the fridge so she could enjoy them during the week. Since she also baked cookies and Sookie's favorite chocolate cake, making Pam promise to not have any sweets delivered until Sookie finished the home baked goods. All too soon, it was time for Bobby to drive Gran home. Eric emerged from his office, where he'd been hiding all evening again, to say goodbye. He promised that Sookie would be provided the best care possible, and that Pam would call her again soon to arrange for another visit.

As soon as Gran walked out the door, Eric braced himself for Sookie's reaction. Just as he predicted, she stomped up the stairs, insisting on some time alone. He sighed. He really didn't know much about human emotions, but the roller coaster of extreme reactions that Sookie had just couldn't be normal, or healthy. He called Ludwig. "What do you want Northman?"

"It's Sookie."

"Is she sick?"

"Emotional, wavering between extremes and I'm worried."

The tiny doctor smiled to herself. _'Northman has met his match. This tiny human has changed him a great deal in only days_.' She smartly kept her thoughts to herself and continued to listen to Eric as he explained the range of Sookie's emotions.

"Northman, nothing about what you've said is dangerous for the girl. She's in good health, it's not like she has a heart condition where she needs to be kept calm."

"Still, what if she goes back into her depression again?"

"Then you'll step in like before. Northman, call me if your human really becomes sick. I'm busy." She hung up on Eric and he was left staring at the phone.

All Eric could do was wait and he knew it. Though he had sheriff work and needed to go to Fangtasia; he found he didn't want to leave Sookie alone. He went upstairs and knocked. "Sookie, I'm leaving for Fangtasia now."

"Fine." She said while she was blubbering out her tears.

"Will you be OK?"

"Like you give a shit."

His hands curled into fists as he tried to keep his anger at her words to himself. "I do give a shit, I thought we established this."

Sookie was tired and sad with no energy to fight, so she just answered him "I'll be fine Eric. I got up early to spend time with Gran and I'm tired and sad now that she left."

"I'll check on you when I return."

"Ok."

A few hours later, Eric returned and he noticed there was no evidence that Sookie had left her room. Her scent wasn't 'fresh' in any of the rooms downstairs, and the kitchen looked unused. He went to her bedroom. The bond he had was weakening since it had not been refreshed, but he could still sense that she was awake, so he knocked and called her name. Sookie sighed deeply at the intrusion, but she did get up and open the door.

"Eric."

"Sookie, are you well? Do you need something to eat?"

"I'm not hungry." She sniped, but quickly added, "Thanks for asking." After all, her Gran was just here and had reminded Sookie several times when she seemed less than polite.

"Would you like to watch a movie or something?"

"No Eric. I just want to be left alone."

"Sookie, we talked about times you need space, but you have me quite worried. Your severe depression was not that…."

"Jesus Fucking Christ Eric! I'm allowed to be upset. Go away."

"Don't talk to me like that."

"This is one of those times I need space."

"You've had space, I left several hours ago. I never felt you sleep, so you've had all that time to process."

"You monitored me the whole time?"

"With difficulty, our bond is weakening."

"In any case, there isn't a time limit on needing space to recover from my Gran's visit. Please, leave me alone."

"If this is how you are going to react to a visit from Gran, I might not allow it again."

"You ASSHOLE! You know, you talk a pretty line about caring and that I'm not truly your captive. You may not beat me or rape me, but you sure can hand out punishment just the same. Even your threatening to withhold visits is a punishment, I'm certain since you monitor me you felt the pain you just caused. Your companion shit is all a line, I guess to get me to comply. I'm supposed to just be your puppet, and do what you want, kneel before you. I can't have my own thoughts, my own things except the few items here in my room, it's just a pretty cell Eric. Admit it. And if you do cut me off from Gran, then I will slip into my depression, I can guarantee it."

He turned and left. His anger was near dominating him and he needed some kind of release. Then he remembered it had been days since he fucked and fed, and that sure wasn't going to happen with Sookie ANYTIME soon. Calling his guards to alert them that he was leaving the property, he opened the back door and took off into the air. He recalled Pam had a date and he wondered if she would share since he didn't have time to wait for a willing donor. Before he headed to Pam's he changed his mind. '_No, Yvetta at the club is always ready for something. I'll surprise her at her home_.' His perfect memory served him well as he recalled her address, and landed a few minutes later outside her apartment door. When she opened the door she was shocked, but quite happy to see him. "Invite me in."

"Yes master, please come in." She replied happily, while she started stripping her clothes off.

Eric smirked. '_Yes, I made an excellent choice tonight_.'

An hour before dawn he was flying home in a much calmer state. He had not forgotten Sookie's words and now that he could think straight, he even acknowledged that she was correct. She had nothing here of her own. She did have her own thoughts, so he did not agree with that, and if Sookie thought about it – neither could she since she made no pretense to keep all those thoughts to herself. '_What can I do to help her_?' The idea came to him and he smiled, landing in this back yard. He paced out what he thought was the right size on the property, then quickly ran into the house to add to Sookie's landscape plans and make calls as needed. He also called Pam to inform her Yvetta would not be working that night. He had certainly taken his anger out on the Estonian and Gods knew she liked it like that, but she wouldn't be in any shape to dance later. After making his calls, he fell into his daydeath pleased that he had a plan to help Sookie's mood.

OOOoooOOOooo

The next afternoon, Sookie was surprised by the results of Bobby's errands. A huge man was standing next to Bobby, almost as tall as Eric and with dark features and green eyes. While she was curious about him, she was more curious about the animal carrier Bobby held.

"What's that?" She asked as she pointed to the carrier.

"Your flea bag."

"Pardon?"

Instead of answering, he just shoved the carrier at Sookie. When she reached for it, she noticed he hand bandages and scratches all over his arms. She peaked in the carrier. "Tina! Oh I've missed you."

Normally, Sookie would thank someone for doing anything for her, but not this time. Bobby had called her precious Tina a fleabag! Instead, she praised the cat. "I see you defended Mommy from Bobby. I'm so proud that you can detect a smacktard so easily. Good job Tina." The man next to Bobby chuckled quietly.

Lifting her gaze from the carrier, she smiled evilly at Bobby. Bobby only glared at Sookie for a few moments before she said. "Don't you need to introduce me to this other guest? Or, wait; does the cat have your tongue?" Now the man next to Bobby was laughing at Sookie's comments or Bobby's red face or both.

Even though Bobby lived in the south, he had no idea how to handle a proper introduction and he simply sneered at Sookie as he said. "This is Alcide Herveaux;" then he walked out the door.

Sookie shrugged her shoulders at Bobby's idiocy. "Are you the electrician?" Sookie asked, confused.

"No, my company has electricians, but I am here to put together some building plans for a cottage on the property."

"Oh, I didn't realize Eric was building something. Can I help you with anything?"

"You are Miss Stackhouse, correct?"

"You mean you couldn't tell from that charming introduction Bobby made?" He laughed out loud as she presented her hand. "Yes, I'm, Miss Stackhouse, but you can call me Sookie."

"Well, I need your help since it's going to be your cottage and you need to help design it."

She was unsure what this meant; then she remembered what she said last night. '_I have nothing of my own. He's giving me my own space. He listened._'

OOOoooOOOooo

Alcide and Sookie marked out the area in the lawn with rope and identified the best locations for windows before sitting down to design the space. They were still debating ideas when Eric left his chamber for the night. Eric could feel happiness and even bursts of excitement from Sookie, but that didn't mean she was ready to face him. He warily approached the kitchen table where he could hear Alcide and Sookie talking. "Good evening Sookie, Alcide."

"Northman. How are you?" Alcide asked.

Sookie's motion caught Eric's attention and rather than answer, he watched her stand and walk towards the hall. "Eric, can I speak with you for a moment in your office?"

"Sure, Sookie."

"Alcide, will you excuse us?"

"Actually, I'll take my leave, I have a date tonight. Will tomorrow at 2 work for you?"

"Sure."

"I'll have some preliminary drawings for you."

"Great, thanks Alcide."

"Sookie, I'll walk Alcide out and return here so we can talk and look over these ideas."

"Sure."

Eric returned to find Sookie in the kitchen smiling over a kitchen idea book. "So you're going with a kitchen in your cottage?"

"Not a full one, just someplace where I can prepare snacks or a light lunch. That's OK, right? I mean, Alcide said…"

"It's fine Sookie. I told him a kitchen was likely. I want you to have a retreat Sookie. A place where you can process all the changes to your life."

"I appreciate that."

They sat quietly for a few moments. He really didn't want to start a blow-up but he wanted to talk to her more about his reasons. After weighing the risks he decided to continue. "Sookie, you were right."

She was shocked and a little confused. "What was I right about?"

"That you have nothing here. I know the circumstances were bad, but the bottom line is, this is your home now too. I didn't think just redecorating would be enough. I still want you to live in the main house, but I thought you might like a place where you can get away from, well all of us. Look, I shouldn't have threatened you with not seeing Gran. I'm sorry."

"Wow, you're really working hard here." She laughed a little. "I think I need the place away from everyone, thanks."

"Will you show me what you've been discussing with Alcide?"

"We haven't completed anything; it's all ideas so far."

"So, show me the ideas."

He didn't need his fading bond to realize how excited Sookie was about the cottage; she was practically jumping out of her seat. Eric was quite satisfied to give her something that caused this much excitement, and seemed to have put 'upset Sookie' away for a while. The ideas had all been reviewed and Eric decided to leave for Fangtasia before any more difficult topics came up. "Sookie, I need to head to Fangtasia."

"Sure. I'm going to try to narrow down my decisions so I can look at samples from Alcide."

"If you leave me a list I can email Alcide before dawn."

"That would be great, thanks." She thought for a moment. "Or you can wake me if I'm asleep when I get home and I'll share the decisions with you."

"I'd like that. Did you call your Gran about the cottage?"

"I um, Eric I didn't realize I could call my Gran."

"Oh, you're right, I never clarified that. You can call your Gran any time you want Sookie."

And with that, she was even happier than she'd been in weeks. '_Shit, I should have clarified calls to her Gran before. Well, it's done now._' He rose to leave. "I'll leave you to call your Gran and I'll see you when you return."

"See you then."

He smiled and tallied his score. '_Tonight was a step forward; I hope we don't have any steps back_.' When he headed out, he could hear her talking to her Gran on the phone.

"What do you think Gran?"

"I think it sounds nice. Have you thought about a fireplace?"

"Oooh, no! I'll add that to my list. What else Gran?"

"What kind of sunlight will you get? What about plants?"

"A place for plants is already on the list."

"Sookie, you sound quite excited about this. How did this all come about anyway?"

Sookie explained the fight that occurred the prior night and that the cottage was Eric's response. "My, it sounds like a doozy of a fight."

"Gran, that's par for the course for Eric and me."

"Oh. Why didn't you mention that when we were visiting?"

"Well, it's gotten better then when I first moved in. I also didn't want you to be upset since we were having such a nice visit."

"You didn't want me to be mad at Eric, well madder than I already was."

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing" Gran answered but wondered to herself. '_Could there be something else here? Was she protecting him by keeping their fights a secret? He's building a cottage for her to make up for a fight, that's a pretty extreme response to a fight. I'll need to watch this, I think there's something more going on with these two_.'


	17. Turkey and a Garlic Necklace

**HI! Did you guys miss me? I had some major difficulty finishing the chapter I was writing this past week and it took all my writing time focus. That's Chapter 34 in case you're interested, but I won't tell you anything else. **

**Hope you like the change that's happening starting now.**

**ALSO – I am moving to a wordpress site – check my profile for the link. I am adding chapters as I can – I hope to get this one caught up soon – before I have pictures to add to the story because I really like to have pictures to go with some of the story. **

**FINALLY - Thanks for all the tips and such, I have more followers and favorites and reviews OH MY!  
**

**Enjoy!**

**~Mags**

Chapter 16 – Turkey and a Garlic Necklace

November 24, 2003

Several weeks had passed since the first visit from Gran. The cottage project and subsequent visits from Gran elevated Sookie's mood and she spent a good part of each afternoon out with the construction crew, wanting a hand in the creation of her own little place. The building process fascinated her: the speed, the tools, the materials. The cottage was just that, a small outbuilding on the property, but as promised Eric gave her free reign to design it as she wanted, provided it could serve as a vampire guest house if he needed it. With Alcide's design help, she created a personal haven: a large room with a small kitchenette, seating area, bathroom and nook with a daybed for naps. One wall, facing south, was all glass for her to grow indoor plants. Alcide had created a shelf and hanging system to hold dozens of pots and at one end, a small potting station with sink.

Eric's only requirement was a full basement since the cottage sat on top of an existing underground tunnel that lead to a basement under a pavilion at the lake's edge. Instead of just keeping the small tunnel, it was opened up to a full light-tight room under Sookie's cottage. She didn't care; she was getting privacy out of the process.

The night they finished the designs, she forgot herself and attacked Eric with a hug. From there, the relationship built slowly since they had the cottage's progress and decisions to discuss each night. After the first few nights of talking through the cottage, they started having the conversation over Sookie's dinner every night. The fighting almost stopped since Sookie had focus, and Eric worked very hard to NOT push any buttons. Now, Eric eagerly waited for the sun to set each day so he could be greeted by her smiling face and chatter about the day's progress on the cottage.

Even though it had only been a few weeks, the cottage was nearly complete. Alcide had a double shift working each day; moving to the interior when the sun set. Today, she was helping lay the tiles in her new bathroom. "The grout goes on the wall and the tiles, not your nose," Alcide smiled at her while he brushed the grout away.

"Hey, it's my first time doing anything like this, I'm trying hard."

"Yes I can see that sweets."

Alcide had taken to calling Sookie sweets shortly after meeting her – mostly from seeing her avid sweet tooth. Sookie was at first taken aback by Alcide and his crew's attentions the first few days. Never had any men followed her around as they had, been at her beck and call, eager it seemed to please her. It eased up after the first few days, and she learned from Bobby's head that it was because Potts pulled Alcide aside and warned him that Eric would likely kill the crew for flirting with Sookie. They were still friendly, but nothing overtly sexual. Still, she enjoyed her time with Alcide and considered him safe since he was in a relationship with a girl named Debbie Pelt.

They continued on the walls and Sookie grew more excited with each section they finished. She had selected large white tiles and added small glass tiles in blues and greens to add color. The effect was gorgeous! Once she showed Pam the tiles, the shopping started. The very next day, boxes of towels and bathroom accessories coordinating with the blues and greens arrived. Pam had carried the theme to the sitting area and kitchenette with blue and green throw pillows, blankets and kitchen linens. Sookie begged her to stop stating that she wanted to pick some things out for herself and Pam reluctantly agreed. Eric was actually impressed that Sookie got Pam to stop shopping, voluntarily; noting he'd never witnessed that in her entire undead life.

"So Alcide, what's left, when can I move in?"

"You aren't living here are you?"

"No, you know it's just for hanging out and I'll still live in the house. So, when will it be done?"

"I'd say you can be in here within a week. It's all indoor work now that the stones have been added to the exterior, so we have no weather concerns. I can ask the crew to work this weekend, Northman pays for overtime."

"No, it's Thanksgiving. I can wait a few days. I just want to get to decorating for Christmas."

"If you get all the outdoor decorations purchased, we can help you with that before we pack up and leave."

"Only the high stuff, I really want to do most of it myself."

"You won't need them to hang the high decorations, Sookie." Came the rich baritone voice from the doorway. "Why am I paying construction crews if I keep finding you knee deep in the work?"

She smiled and answered as she did every evening when they had this very same conversation. "Cause it's my sanctuary, and I want to look at it and know I helped build it." She handed her tools to Alcide and he accepted them knowing she was off to have dinner with Northman as she did every night. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon sweets."

"You bet Alcide." She turned to Eric and asked "Shall we?" as they headed to the main house.

Once inside, Eric offered, "Do you want to clean up? I can handle heating up your leftovers from your Gran while you do that. Unless you want help?" He added with a leer.

"Thanks for making dinner, I'll say no to the other help though. I'm pretty sure I can handle the shower." She headed to her room.

Eric went about preparing her dinner while he listened to her. His connection to her had all but faded by now, so he had to take his enjoyment from hearing her singing as she showered and dressed. He was so happy these days with Sookie that while he longed for more, much more from her, he was hesitant to push. He abandoned his ideas of elaborate dates, knowing that was not her style, nor would she have agreed. Their outings (not dates) in the past few weeks were only to the local home design centers or furniture stores for her to make decisions for the cottage. Sometimes they even included a dinner out, but nothing fancy. He decided to ask her to the Nutcracker hoping she would agree to it as a Christmas event. The gown made for Sookie's Halloween costume hung in her closet unworn and he thought it would be a good opportunity for her to wear it, finally. After all, it was nothing more than a beautiful gown, and without the mask, no one would suspect it was intended as a costume. He heard her starting to come down, so he finished prepping their dinners. She smiled brightly when she entered the room.

"Thanks again, I really was covered in too much grout to eat."

"My pleasure Sookie." She took a forkful of her Gran's meatloaf and moaned. As much as he enjoyed her moans while she ate, they also drove him insane. He adjusted his pants, for what he was sure would be the first of many times during their shared meal, and turned to her. She surprised him by starting a conversation.

"Eric."

"Yes?"

"My Gran called today." Uh oh, he knew he was going to be in trouble.

"Seems all her windows are going to be replaced. When she tried to argue with the representative from Alcide's company she was told the bill was pre-paid and they would be in trouble if they didn't get the job done within 5 days. Do ya know anything about that?"

"You were going to buy plastic film that needed to be sealed onto her windows with a hair dryer. If the windows are that bad for a Louisiana winter, they needed to be replaced."

"Eric."

"Sookie, I have told you before, you, your Gran, even Pam would never be able to spend all my money. Can't you let me do this for you, for YOUR GRAN?"

"Pulling the Gran card, ey?"

"Is it working?"

"Yes, but can we talk about these things? Do you need to just go and do them?"

"It's called a surprise Sookie."

"Someday I'm going to have a hell of a surprise for you and maybe you won't like the surprise factor so much."

"Looking forward to it. Now, are we OK with this window business?"

"Yes, thank you."

"You're welcome."

They sat for a few minutes more in silence while Sookie devoured her Gran's meatloaf. Eric felt she was no longer upset with the windows so he dove in. "Sookie, I have something to ask you."

"Sure, what's up?"

"I bought tickets to the Nutcracker for this weekend. I would very much like you to attend with me."

She paused for a moment. They had been getting along decently – actually more than just decently if she admitted it. This concerned her though. "Like a date?"

He knew she wouldn't like the answer, but he needed to move forward. "Not LIKE a date Sookie, an actual date." He took a sip of his blood and continued. "Sookie, we've been getting along very well these past few weeks, have we not?"

"Yes."

"It's no secret that I am attracted to you. If you're honest, you need to admit you are attracted to me."

"I thought you told me your connection to me had faded."

"It has, but that was an interesting way to respond to my comment. You didn't deny my statement. In a way you confirmed it."

"Sneeky."

"Indeed. To clarify where I think you were headed: Our connection HAS faded, but I felt your attraction to me long before it did. I just never brought it up since I thought it would only make you that much more uncomfortable around me. You being uncomfortable would not help my plans."

"Your plans?"

"To make you my companion."

"Why bring this up now, we've been getting along as you mentioned. This kind of talk only ends in an argument."

"I'm hoping that you will give it a chance now that you have settled somewhat into life here."

She took a bite of food to give herself time to respond. '_He's right. I was attracted to him almost right away. The silence, that body – I mean, who wouldn't be attracted to him? But honestly, what does he think can happen with the way we started out_?' She looked over at him, his face just like any other man, holding a bit of expectation while she mulled over her answer. "Eric, you're right I am attracted to you, but honestly, do you ever think we can have something given the way we started out?"

"I can only hope Sookie. You've been very pragmatic about the situation, and I have apologized often over the circumstances. I'm a vampire, and my vampire baggage comes with that. Doesn't baggage come with everyone? Does every great relationship have a perfect start? Can we please try?"

He stared at her while she finished her chewing and waited. Finally, she answered. "We'll go on this one date, but no sex."

"No, you are not a sex on the first date kind of girl, I know that, but you should plan to be kissed, and kissed well."

She blew out a breath with that statement and grabbed for her drink so she wouldn't need to look at his intense stare. When she had calmed down, she asked for the details. She discovered that they were attending the opening night for the season and that she could wear her Anna Karenina dress. She had been disappointed before when she did not attend the Halloween party, and now she was getting excited at the opportunity to dress up. It meant Eric would be in a tux and he had hired a limo. "Wow, I've never been in a limo Eric or out in a gown like that."

"The gown is why I picked that particular show time since the premiere is a black tie event. I knew you were disappointed at Halloween, as was I." What he didn't add was that he picked the show time because the dress also meant the corset that he missed helping her out of at Halloween. Now he was adjusting his pants, again, at the thought of touching that much skin.

"Well thank you. I'm looking forward to it."

"We can go to dinner before the show if you want."

She shook her head as she answered. "Nah, let's just eat at home; then head out. I would worry about my dress too much." She continued eating for a moment then asked. "So are you really OK with Gran cooking Thanksgiving here, even if you have to glamour the location out of Dawn and Jason?"

"I am OK with it; you did explain glamour to Gran so she won't be surprised at their lack of memory?"

"Yes, she's all informed."

"Sookie, I'm surprised you chose here instead of going home for the day."

"I thought going home would be too hard."

When he saw the look of sadness on her face, he reached across the table to take her hand. "I'm sorry Sookie."

"I know." She took a deep breath to try to prevent the tears she felt coming, it just didn't help. She started crying in earnest now, her dinner forgotten. Eric wasn't sure if this happened frequently or not when he wasn't around since he just couldn't feel her anymore. He stood, pulled her chair back and picked her up to move to the den. Once settled on the couch, with her in his lap, he started soothing her as best he could. The crying seemed to go on for a while, though he really knew it was only a few minutes, and eventually, she calmed.

"Do you want to talk about it? Do you still cry often?"

"I was just thinking about Christmas is all."

"You want to be home for that?" She nodded yes. "Would your Gran agree to a vampire sleeping area somewhere in your house?"

Sookie's eyes grew wide and she stared at Eric for a moment before she begged him, "Don't tease me. Not about this."

"I'm not. I'll need to arrange for some Weres to patrol your property during the day, but we can go to your home for Christmas." She latched onto his neck and started crying all over again. "Sookie….." He waited while she cried some more. "Sookie?"

"Yeah."

"Are these happy tears?"

She calmed down and answered. "Sure are. Thank you."

"Can you call Gran and ask about the construction on the house?"

"I can start the conversation, but I don't know what you need, shouldn't you describe what you think needs to be done? That way she can know what's happening before she agrees."

Eric visibly winced. He and Sookie's Gran had not really gotten past the first difficult discussion. In a nutshell, she still blamed him for Sookie's situation somewhat, and her visits were strained when Eric was around. Still, for Sookie, he would 'suck it up' as Pam says and talk to her. "She's not that scary."

Trying to make light of the situation, he teased, "Speak for yourself."

"Poor Eric, 1000 thousand years old and scared of Gran."

He play growled at her. "Just call your Gran."

After speaking with Gran, Eric called Alcide to schedule the construction project in Bon Temps. He decided to arrange for some additional repair work to the house as well, leaving the details to Alcide's discretion. He'd heard Bobby complain about the condition of the driveway, so he did tell Alcide to get that fixed. _'I don't want to drive my corvette on something full of potholes. Course, Sookie may need me to drive the SUV to hold presents_.' He found himself looking forward to Christmas, something that never happened. '_But, I enjoy many things more than I even thought I would, if Sookie's involved that is_.'

OOOoooOOOooo

The next few days passed quickly and now it was Thanksgiving Day. Gran had arrived the evening before so she could start cooking early. She greeted Potts in the kitchen shortly after dawn. "Good Morning Potts. You're up early."

"I don't need that much sleep, I'm a daemon."

Gran's eyes grew wide so Potts continued. "We are a supernatural species, though unknown to humans at this time, so I only share that information with you."

"I'm familiar with daemons; I just didn't know you were one." She whispered the rest, "but Sookie doesn't know that I know one, well besides you now."

"Oh, who do you know?"

"Desmond Cataliades. Do you know him, or is that as silly as you asking me if I know some Presbyterian from another part of the state?"

She sniggered "While there are many daemons, I don't know them all, but I do know Desmond, and his nieces."

"Oh, I've never met his nieces." She turned from the counter to start gathering the ingredients for breakfast. Potts leant a hand since she always enjoyed cooking with Gran. After sharing breakfast, they started on the pies. She was making apple, pecan and pumpkin since nobody would give up their desire to have their favorite. Gran focused on the crusts while Potts prepared the fillings. Once they were in the ovens they turned their attention to the stuffing. Sookie had joined them since it was almost noon. "Glad you could make it sleeping beauty."

Sookie just grumbled back since she hadn't had any coffee yet. She sat and watched Gran and Potts while she sipped her coffee and ate leftover biscuits from the breakfast Potts and Gran ate earlier. Potts chopped the vegetables while Gran tore bread. Soon, the stuffing was ready and Gran removed the turkey from the refrigerator to prepare it. Bobby had selected the largest bird he could from the store at Eric's request. He wanted to ensure Sookie could enjoy leftovers for several days. Gran shook her head at the excess, since only five humans were eating Thanksgiving dinner, but she stuffed the bird anyway and put it back in the refrigerator until it was time to start roasting it. Normally, Gran served an earlier Thanksgiving dinner, but their hosts wanted to join them and Pam was very excited about celebrating the holiday so she changed dinner time happily.

Bobby arrived at about 3PM with Jason and Dawn, both visibly nervous. Bobby sneered at Sookie, angry that having to drive Sookie's family had kept him from his friend's Thanksgiving dinner. Sookie was too excited to see Jason, so she just ignored him for once and ran for her brother. "JASON!" she yelled and jumped into his arms.

"HEY SOOK! How are ya?"

"Wow, stop spinning me, you'll make me sick" He put her down and she reached to hug Dawn. "How are you feeling little Mama? How's my niece or nephew in there?"

"We're good Sookie. This place sure is fancy."

"I'll give you a tour in a bit, y'all want some tea first?"

"Ya got any beer?"

"Yeah Jas, we knew you were coming." She started towards the kitchen. "Come on, I'll introduce you to Potts."

"Gran, that turkey smells wonderful!"

"Thanks Jason, it's the biggest one I've ever made. Eric had Bobby purchase a 24 pounder. Potts had to put it in the oven for me." She gestured to the woman in the kitchen. "Potts, this is my grandson, Sookie's brother Jason, and his fiancée Dawn."

"Welcome to Shreveport. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sookie talks about you all the time."

"Yeah? You work here too?"

"Yes, I'm a guard. I live here and am with Sookie in the afternoon before Eric rises."

"Bout that. Can anyone clarify why Sookie even lives here? I can't quite get it straight in my head."

"Sookie stayed here after Eric was able to help save her from the drug dealers that had taken her after you escaped. She works for him now."

"Yeah, he own a bar?"

"He does own a bar, but I actually work here at the house on Eric's gardens."

"But it's winter. Ain't no gardening happenin' now."

"I've been doing plans for the spring."

"And he pays you and you can stay here?"

"Yeah, Jason." Growing uncomfortable with the conversation Sookie changed the subject. "Did you see the pies?"

"Nah, but I smelled em. Ya outdone yourself Gran."

"Let me give you a tour before I need to help Gran with more of the cooking."

The tour ended back in the kitchen and Potts, Gran and Sookie got back to work. It wasn't long after that they heard Eric join the group. Sookie handled the introductions. She just couldn't believe that Jason didn't recognize Eric at all, considering he'd been with Eric and mistreated for weeks. She stopped thinking about it since she promised herself she would just enjoy the day. Nobody could predict how Jason would handle the conversation so they braced themselves after the introductions were made. At least, Sookie thought, they were all prepared for his stupidity and he lived up to his reputation.

"So Eric, how ya gonna eat turkey? I thought y'all only ate people?"

Eric couldn't help by chuckle at Jason's question. "Jason, Pam and I won't be eating the turkey; we will enjoy our own meal while you eat yours."

"Ya got people to eat here? Is ma baby safe?" He moved to put his arms around Dawn's middle."

"JASON!" Gran yelled, "Don't be an idiot. Mr. Northman and Pam will be drinking bottled blood."

"Oh, OK. So, can I see your coffins? Sookie didn't show them to us on the tour."

"Jason, he doesn't sleep in a coffin. Could you stop being rude, please?"

Pam arrived to hear the end of the chat. "What's that smell?" Eric chuckled again. He had chosen to ignore it, but not Pam. "What's so funny Eric?"

"We were just having a friendly chat with Jason. I believe that smell is garlic."

Sookie gasped. "JASON, did you guys wear garlic to the house?" She turned to Eric. "I'm sorry, I didn't smell it myself, I guess all of Gran's cooking hid it." After apologizing to Eric, she put her hands on her hips and turned to Jason with an expectant look on her face.

"I had to protect ma Fi- ancy and ma baby."

She moved forward and found they were both wearing garlic necklaces, removed them, and then took them directly to an outside bin. When she got back, she stared at her brother and asked what else he had on him. He told her nothing, but she continued to stare. "CUT THAT OUT!" He yelled.

Sookie backed off immediately for fear that Jason would give away her mind reading. She was trying to pull information about other weapons or protection he had with him, but found nothing. Eric watched the exchange with extreme interest. He was surprised to hear Jason yell at Sookie to stop when she was simply staring him down. He tucked the information away as another piece of Sookie puzzle.

"Everyone except Potts and Sookie – shoo!" Gran ordered. "I need the kitchen so I can finish getting this meal cooked."

"How long do we have Gran?" Sookie asked.

"About 20 minutes."

"Can you finish with just Potts help? I was gonna show Jason and Dawn the cottage." She leaned in and whispered the rest. "I don't want him alone with Eric."

"Go on, we'll be fine." She reached for Pam. "Wait there a moment, Missy."

"Yes Gran."

Gran grabbed her and hugged her, an action to which Pam was finally becoming accustomed. "Thank you. You did a beautiful job setting the dining room table. I've never had a flower centerpiece that gorgeous before."

"My pleasure Gran."

Sookie was ushering Jason and Dawn out the door as he was questioning why the blond vamp was calling his Gran, Gran. They toured the cottage, almost complete; then walked him around the grounds as she described her plans. Showing him the cottage was a mistake she realized when Jason started back on her job. "I just don't get it."

She knew what was coming – she had already pulled it from his head. "You design his garden and he lets you live here and in fact is building you that cottage?"

"Jason, he wanted to help after he helped me get away from the drug dealers. Can't you just accept that someone wants to help me? Maybe take care of me? Can't you just drop it?"

He leaned in to whisper. "Are you sleeping with him? I thought you were a good girl."

She stopped walking abruptly, turned to him and slapped him hard across his face. "I am a good girl. Shame on you for suggesting anything else."

"Yikes sis. Ya didn't need to hit that hard. Still, you can see why I'd asked. I mean …. nothing? I don't swing THAT way but I can see hesa good lookin guy."

"You got that right." Dawn mumbled. Sookie laughed while Jason reminded her that she was spoken for.

"Jason, we are going on our first date this weekend – but that's it, just a first date."

"Well, a'right."

Potts called to them from the back door to inform them that dinner was ready and Jason practically ran into the house.

The table was covered with food, more than the five humans present could possibly consume – even with the wide-eyed look Jason was giving everything. Once seated, Gran said the blessing and they dug in. After several huge mouthfuls, Jason came for air and said. "It's a shame Uncle Bartlett ain't here to enjoy this."

Eric didn't need his blood connection to Sookie to see that Jason's words affected her, and not in a pleasant way. He quickly scanned Gran's reaction as well. Both of them looked stricken. Jason didn't seem to notice and he spoke again, after finishing another overflowing mouthful of food. "Y'all need to move past whatever that grudge was. Geez, Sook was seven at the time you stopped talking to him. He's family."

With that, Sookie put her fork down and stopped eating. Gran simply instructed Jason to stop talking about something he really didn't understand. When he tried to speak again, she gave him a look that shut him up quickly. Meanwhile, Sookie spent the rest of the meal pushing her food around, but not taking another bite. Eric was sure of it because he watched her every move. '_I know everyone has baggage, Sookie and I discussed that the other night, but this is huge. I will know what this Bartlett did to cause such a reaction; I just need to figure out when to discuss it. Things have been going well; I don't want to jeopardize anything.' _

Gran tried to change the subject and asked Jason and Dawn about their wedding plans. Dawn beamed and talked about the small church wedding she had planned. Sookie fidgeted nervously in her seat. A daytime wedding; Dawn was planning a wedding in the sun and that probably meant she wouldn't be able to attend since she'd need to go with guards. Guards weren't something she could explain to folks in Bon Temps. Eric watched Sookie deflate as the meal went on. Gran knew why Sookie was upset and suggested, "I've been trying to PERSUADE them that a candle light ceremony would be beautiful, since we have such early sunsets in January. Maybe they'll eventually get that THROUGH THEIR HEADS."

Eric almost laughed out loud at the woman and her hints to glamour the idea into Dawn and Jason. He simply nodded, then returned his worried gaze to Sookie. Gran watched Eric as he watched Sookie. Since Eric usually busied himself with anything that would keep him away from her when she visited, she had not really seen him interact with her grandbaby. What she watched stunned her. If she didn't know any better, she would say he was in love or at the very least smitten and that threw her. Normally a very tolerant and forgiving woman, she had to admit the situation with Sookie had her wanting to blame someone (other than Jason) and Eric had been that person. She now realized her blame was wrong. She vowed she would learn more about this man and realize that he was in just a difficult situation about Jason's mess as the rest of them.

The rest of the meal passed without incident but Sookie never returned to being happy as she had been before Jason brought up Bartlett. Eric was frustrated about the situation and unsure what to do about Bartlett so he decided to focus on what he could do. "Mrs. Stackhouse," he started as he walked into the kitchen.

"Eric, may I call you Eric?" He nodded, "I think it's time you called me Gran, or at least Adele."

"Certainly, I think I'll stick with Adele. Thank you."

"I'm guessing you want to ask me something, but I have something I need to say, while Sookie is occupied with her brother, Dawn and baby talk."

"Ok."

"I'm sorry Eric." Eric couldn't hide the stunned look on his face as Gran continued. "I realize now that you have responsibilities you need to fulfill. The blame for this belongs to Jason and Amy and you have tried to make this whole situation as palatable as possible for all of us. My guess is vampires don't have family over for Thanksgiving as a rule."

He chuckled, "unheard of would be the more likely comment. I find myself in a unique position."

"I'm sure, since I guess vampires also don't start falling in love with their prisoners." He stood stone still as he took in the words. Gran continued. "You don't need to say anything, just know that I wish circumstances were different. You have an uphill battle, she can't let go of how it is she came to live here."

"I'm very much aware of that."

"And you didn't deny anything either." She smirked then quickly moved on. "Now, you wanted to ask me something?"

He took the gracious opportunity she gave him to move on from the topic of his feelings for Sookie. "Yes, I need your help with this turkey."

OOOoooOOOooo

Later, Pam took on the task to return Gran, Jason and Dawn home so she could glamour Eric's address from Jason's head and implant the desire for a candlelight wedding. Sookie relaxed for the first time since Jason had arrived. Though he couldn't feel her emotions, he could see her calm so he asked. "What had you so tense." He stood behind her and rubbed her shoulders.

"He doubted my role here, why you would pay me and house me for simply planning your garden. He even asked if I was sleeping with you."

"Hmm, don't I wish." He pushed himself a bit closer to Sookie to rub his body against her.

"Stop that, you! Behave or you won't get your goodnight kiss after our date."

"Yes dear."

She tried to admonish him further for calling her dear, but she couldn't contain he giggle. "Eric, do you know how silly it sounds to have you say yes dear?"

"I don't think it's silly at all." He stood looking indignant, but she knew he was joking.

"Well, I need to finish cleaning the kitchen." She turned and headed that way.

"I'll make you a deal." She stopped in the hall and looked at him. "You eat something and I'll clean."

"You may change your mind when you see the mess in there. Remember, Potts helped cook."

"I'll be brave. Do we have a deal?"

"Sure, I'm kinda hungry. I can enjoy some of that turkey." They moved into the kitchen.

"You just sit; I'll make you a turkey sandwich."

"YOU?"

"I know exactly how you like them, your Gran told me."

"Ahh, is that what you guys were doing when I was outside with Jason and Dawn? I came in expecting to find evidence of a fight."

"We actually made peace."

"Really?" She asked in a hopeful question.

"Yes, I now even call her Adele and I won't be scared of her anymore."

"That's great Eric." She beamed. "Now, get to work on my sandwich, I'm going to grade you."

"Yes dear."


	18. The First Date

Chapter 17 – The First Date

November 29, 2003

"Stop fidgeting cupcake. You look gorgeous."

"Are you sure Pam?"

"He's going to be drooling as soon as he sees you."

"Did I say thank you for the hair and makeup stylists?"

"Yes Sookie, several times. Come on, you're ready and you need to leave so you can make the start of the ballet."

"I've never been to a live ballet."

"You're going to love it. Eric has a private box for the show."

"And a limo." She exclaimed not trying to hide her excitement. She stopped in the bathroom for a moment to take some Excedrin, a move that Pam spied and tucked away to mention to Eric. One more time in front of the mirror then she started out the door. "It's kinda weird being picked up for a date when you live in the same house."

"I can move you quickly to your cottage so Eric can pick you up there."

"Maybe next time, that would've been fun, but the place is still full of boxes from the cabinets in the kitchenette. Hey, did you ask Eric if you and I can go shopping for the plates and stuff on Monday?"

"It's a Monday; the bar will be closed so I'm sure he'll be fine with it." Sookie glared at her for a moment. "But, I'll ask to be sure. Now, enough stalling, get your beautiful butt down those stairs."

"Don't rush me, these heels are very high and I'm not used to wearing anything but flats and tennis shoes."

"I'll hold your hand."

"No you won't" Eric interjected, startling both ladies. He reached out and took Sookie's arm. "I've got you."

Sookie looked up and smiled at Eric. "Thank you. You'll need to help me until I adjust to these heels."

"Any reason to keep my hands on you will do."

They continued down the stairs towards the front door and Pam called to Eric just before they were about to exit. He shot her a nasty glare but she beckoned him with by curling her finger. He reached her in a second and said "this better be fast."

They held a hushed conversation in Swedish. "Hon har en annan huvudvärk" (She has another headache).

"Inte ikväll!" (Not tonight!)

"Tänkte du bör veta." (Just thought you should know). He nodded and walked back to Sookie.

"Everything OK?" Sookie asked Eric.

"Just some Fangtasia business, it's going to be busy since it's a Saturday night."

"If this is a problem, we can cancel."

"NO, I've been looking forward to this for a while."

"You only just bought the tickets."

"Not the ballet, a date with you."

She stayed quiet at that comment while they got in the car. She was still quiet and acting very interested in her skirt as they drove for a bit and Eric grew concerned. "Sookie, what is it?"

"What you said. You say things like that and I feel like we could have something, but I can't let go of what we really are to each other – the captive and her jailor."

"Can you put that on the shelf for the night?"

"I can try, but it's hard to keep thoughts from creeping in sometimes." She continued to fuss at her skirt while she spoke to him. "You know, I hate it when you two talk in Swedish."

"How do you know it's Swedish?"

"I asked Pam. I get that you have to keep some things private, but it does irk me."

"Duly noted. Are you going to fuss at that skirt all night?"

"I'm nervous."

"Why? You look gorgeous, the ballet isn't anything dangerous."

"How about my heels, the fact that I'm a poor country girl attending an event usually reserved for the wealthy of Shreveport, or that I really don't have much experience dating and don't know what to expect or how to act?"

"You have my arm for the entire night if you need something steady. I believe I already told you that you look gorgeous and none of the women at the event will be able to hold a candle to you. Finally, just be yourself. Well, maybe not the version of you that likes to fight with me, the other one."

She giggled. "Uh oh, I left the 'sweet Sookie' at home."

"I'll call Pam to pack her up and deliver her to us. It's too late to turn around because we are here."

"I'll just tell 'fight Sookie' to behave."

"Ok, but only until we get home, then she can be as bad as she wants to be." The driver opened the door and Eric exited first to help Sookie out. She held tight to Eric as they were photographed by the local paper for the society page. A few even knew Eric by name and asked about his date.

"I had no idea you were so popular."

He chuckled. "Nonsense, they are interested in you and only using my name to get information."

"They're going to figure it out if anyone recalls my picture as being missing from just a few weeks ago."

"You're right. Is it so bad to be seen with me?"

"I guess not, you are somewhat attractive." Eric made a face at her comment and she smirked.

"I thought you were going to behave?"

"This is me behaving."

He moved them quickly past the photographer and into the theatre doors and Sookie even relaxed after she compared herself to the other women attending. The dress she was wearing was gorgeous, and Eric's words in the limo helped give her confidence.

Her confidence ended when they stepped into the lobby and she saw Portia Bellefleur and even worse, Portia saw her. Eric felt her stiffen next to him and he followed her eyes to see why. A woman was approaching Sookie. She had broad shoulders, a square, masculine face and a pretty much flat figure. She was nothing compared to Sookie, yet she was clearly upsetting her. "Sookie, I didn't expect to see you here."

"Portia. How are you?"

'_Portia, Pam told me about a Portia Bellefleur and that she mistreated my Sookie. I remember denying her request to toy with the woman because he didn't want any additional vampire presence at Bon Temps at the moment. If she gives Sookie grief, I'll let Pam have at her_.' He smiled at the woman and introduced himself. "Miss Bellefleur, I'm Eric Northman. Nice to meet you."

She turned to look at Eric, not having really noticed him before and was stunned. Sookie took a moment to enjoy Portia's thoughts about Eric. She was thinking about how gorgeous Eric was but immediately turned to how Sookie had managed to get him. She quickly threw up her shields, not wanting to hear more. When Portia put her hand out to greet Eric and Eric only stared, she tried not to laugh. Portia's own date, a vampire, tried to stop her but she ignored him. That got Sookie thinking, '_if she's with a vampire in Shreveport, he's under Eric. This could be fun.'_

"Portia, why would you be surprised to see me here?"

"Well, it's the ballet; it's really not for the uneducated. I don't know that you'll enjoy it, you're clearly out of your league." She ended her statement by practically eye-fucking Eric.

"Portia, it's the Nutcracker. I'm not sure I understand. I need a law degree to be here?"

"Sookie, dear, I mean no offense, but you barely graduated high school. I'm not even sure how you could have afforded that dress. Oh, I see. Your escort - Did he buy you that dress for blood?"

Sookie saw Portia's vampire grabbing her arm forcefully. She had felt Eric stiffen at Portia's words, and she knew he was upset – Portia had taken it further than Sookie expected and now she feared for Portia. "Dario, quiet your human, or it will be done for you."

"Dario, are you going to let him talk to me…"

"Quiet Portia." Dario said as he pulled harder on her arm.

Eric moved to lean into Portia. "If you ever speak to my Sookie again like that you will regret it, that is, if there's anything left of you. I'm certain that Dario is going to explain your place in the world versus Sookie's place so we won't have this problem again." He smiled widely and looked up at Dario. "Isn't that right, Dario?"

"We will not have this problem again." Dario assured Eric.

A theatre usher approached the couples. "Mr. Northman, I'll guide you to your box now."

"Well, I guess we should take our seats. Enjoy the ballet Dario, human."

After the usher left their box, he leaned over to Sookie and stated. "You enjoyed that."

"I did at first, until she made the comment about blood, then I was afraid for her life. Did Pam mention Portia to you?"

"She did. Sookie, you should be afraid for her, if she treats you like that again, I won't promise to restrain myself as I did."

"Let's enjoy the ballet, if I think anymore about it, I might feel guilty for goading her into saying something that I knew would piss you off. We'll talk about whether you can kill people because they insult me. If you did, there wouldn't be anything but a few folks left in Bon Temps."

'_Why would the people from her hometown insult her that much? I just don't understand, but I will when Sookie's ready to tell me.'_

The ballet started and Sookie was mesmerized. She didn't care that Eric sat with his arm around her shoulders for most of the performance, or that his hand was either stroking the side of her neck or playing with the tendrils that had escaped her up do. The physical contact actually enabled Sookie to easily block the thoughts of the audience. Given the packed house, that was a very welcome benefit of his attentions. The bar was packed at intermission, so Sookie decided to forgo a glass of champagne and instead, they just chatted about some of the architecture in the old theatre. She was impressed with Eric's knowledge, but she figured a thousand years is a long time to collect information. The second act was just as enjoyable, and Sookie even leaned into Eric's arm. She had never been able to enjoy this much physical contact, and since she was stuck in this situation, she decided to make the most of it.

Back in the limo, Eric offered Sookie some champagne as he planned and she accepted. He was pleased about this since he wanted her to loosen up a bit before they were home, alone, with a corset to remove. As far as he was concerned, the date was going perfectly, even with the Portia incident. He knew Sookie enjoyed some of what happened. Now he was really looking forward to getting home.

Teenage boys had nothing on Eric's excitement as they approached his empty house. No Potts, no Pam and Sookie was going to need help. Should he offer? Wait for her to call him? Could he be more of a pansy about wanting to just touch her naked back? Do teenage boys have a support group that he can join to get through these situations? Since he planned to take things very slowly with Sookie, he already knew the evening was not going to end in sex and he was setting himself up for a visit to Yvetta's, but he didn't care. Guiding her out of the limo and to the door he asked, "It's early, would you like to watch a movie?"

"Actually, I'm starving since I ate so long ago. Will you join me while I have a snack?"

"Sure, I just want to get out of my tux first."

"Oh, I'm with you there, these shoes" she bent to take them off, flashing a bit of cleavage, "and corset are very uncomfortable."

Groaning out loud was not something he intended to do, but it happened anyway. He hoped it wasn't loud enough for Sookie to hear, but she did. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

'_Only my blue balls'_ he thought, but kept that to himself. "You're killing me."

"What?"

"Talking about your corset, bending over to remove your shoes. It's killing me."

"Oh, OH! I'll stop. Let me go get changed into something that's not so pretty." She turned to go up the stairs.

'_Good luck without me my Sookie_.' He stayed in the kitchen and waited, smirking to himself. Then, the door from the garage opened and Potts walked in. '_No No No No!_' "What are you doing home?" He grimaced out.

"My date is over."

"You were supposed to be out late."

"He was a jerk."

"Potts?!" They heard from upstairs. "Is that you?"

If he was alone, he was sure he would have been crying in disappointment, but if he was alone in the kitchen, he would be getting the call from Sookie for help. He held himself together and told Potts she needed to go upstairs and help Sookie out of her dress. After a moment of confusion, Potts had a realization of what she had done. "Oh, your date." He just glared at her. "I'll make it up to you."

He grumbled as he walked to his chamber, "You better fucking believe it."

He quickly changed then met Sookie in the kitchen. She was pulling out a plate and some crackers. He knew what she wanted to eat so he stuck his head in the fridge and asked. "Brie or the Merlot Cheese?"

"Brie, and the fig strawberry stuff to go with it."

"Are you out of glazed nuts?" He chuckled.

"Are my eating habits that transparent?"

"Perfect memory my dear, that's all." He pulled a tray out and started putting her snack on it. "I know you hate eating in front of the TV, but I have a special movie, can you cheat this one time?" He asked as he was already walking out of the kitchen with her tray.

She called out to him, "Every time you talk me into this, you ask me to cheat this one time, you know that, right?"

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was queued in the DVD player and the lights were dimmed when Sookie joined Eric in the Den. She asked him if he also had The Land Before Time to watch since that was also being released the next Tuesday. To which he responded, "You read too much."

"I can't help it if you have me spoiled with early releases, now I check the list of DVDs coming out so I can see if I want you to get something. Your fault."

He chuckled as she sat. "And I suppose that hideous outfit is my fault too?" He glanced at her tank top, covered by a large football jersey (Jason's), fleece pajama pants and thick white men's socks. "Are you ensuring there is no skin showing, or are you just adding layers to be unwrapped later?"

She gasped and smacked his arm. "I'm comfy. Just turn on the movie."

"I'd rather turn you on."

"Your goodnight kiss is in jeopardy." With that comment, he hurriedly turned on the movie.

Sookie quickly finished her snack and the wine Eric poured for her. Then in a move that surprised Eric, she sat back from the coffee table and leaned into him. Glad that Sookie (or Pam for that matter) couldn't see the look of shock on his face he took a moment to recover then wrapped his arm around Sookie's shoulders. They stayed that way for the rest of the movie, and when the credits were playing, Eric had that teenage feeling coming upon him again. '_Should I make a move? I already told her I was going to have a goodnight kiss and she really didn't say no. SHE did lean up against me, on her own. Yeah. I'm going in._' Satisfied with his decision, he pulled Sookie from her sitting position to straddling his lap.

"I don't know that this is the proper position for a first date kiss, Mr. Northman."

"Is there a rule book we are following, Miss. Stackhouse? Are we being graded?"

"Pfft, I hope not," she waved her hand, "cause we definitely wouldn't pass with the way any of this started. We've been rebels."

"Then let's keep it up. I like you here." He watched as her face changed from amused to scared and he decided to just kiss her before she could think anymore about it. Holding her head with one hand and banding his other arm around her waist, he moved his lips to hers. Unlike the other kisses, she didn't resist at all this time. Eric thought she tasted wonderful. The hints of the brie and wine on her tongue combined with Sookie's already wonderful flavor and had him moaning. At least Sookie was more aware of his moaning now so she didn't stop to ask about it.

She was so upset the first times they kissed; she never really had a chance to appreciate it. She decided after only a few seconds that Eric was probably spoiling her for anyone else. His tongue massaged her whole mouth wonderfully while she explored his mouth with her own tongue. She broke when she needed to breathe, but Eric continued by placing both soft kisses and open mouth kisses on her nose, cheeks and down her jaw line. When she opened her eyes, she saw Eric as she had never seen him. His face showed well, need and desire, something like that she thought. His eyes had grown dark with heavy lids. He was panting somewhat, something that confused her since she knew he didn't need to breathe. Since she wanted more, she leaned in to claim his lips for another kiss. In his head, Eric claimed victory. He knew she was enjoying the kiss from the smell of her arousal, but for her to initiate the next kiss was more than he had hoped. So what did he do? He pushed. He moved one arm under her football jersey and tank top to feel the skin on her back. When she didn't protest, he moved that same arm around to the front and slowly moved it up to seek out her breasts. That's when she stopped him.

"Eric. Stop." She whispered and he listened. Disappointed but wanting to respect her wishes, he removed his hand immediately. She added an apology, but he assured her they would go at her pace. She relaxed and melted down onto his chest with her head tucked into his shoulder. That's when she felt it. "Oh God! Eric, I'm really sorry about that."

"Sookie, we don't need to kiss for me to have that reaction to you. I walk around in this condition on a regular basis."

"Do all women do that to you? Is this a vampire thing?"

"No, not at all."

"I don't get it, what's so special about me?"

"Sookie, what isn't special about you?"

"Admit it, it's my scent."

"I told you before, I do like your scent AND the way your blood tastes, but that's only part of the package." She shook her head, trying to deny what he was saying. "Sookie, you're smart, brave, funny. You stand up to me."

"I thought you hated that."

"I can't allow it in public, but at home, I love the challenge."

"Good to know. Maybe I'll give you more grief then."

"I think the level of challenge is just right, no need to add more."

"Chicken."

"Changing the subject. Would you like to watch another movie?"

"Don't you need to go out?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, to feed and um, take care of that other problem."

His eyes narrowed and he asked, "What has Pam told you?"

"Pam? Nothing. Other nights when you don't go to Fangtasia you leave for a few hours and come back rosy and a bit more, um relaxed."

"Sookie." He started, ready to explain.

"Eric, I'm sorry I brought it up. I'm just observant. I get it. I'm not fulfilling those things for you. Really, I shouldn't have said anything." She scrambled to get off his lap, but he held her. "Let me go Eric. I just got too comfortable and thought I could say something."

"You should be comfortable here."

"But that other stuff is not my business."

"No, well normally it's not, but I'm making it your business since you brought it up. I do go out for relief, that's it. It's you I want when you're ready."

"Eric. I enjoyed the date, I enjoyed your company, I really enjoyed that kiss. I just don't know how we can ever be what you want. I just need time."

"Will you go out with me again?"

She thought about it, but only for a minute. "What do you have in mind?"

"We can do something couples do. We can Christmas shop together." Her face fell, and she started to move off of his lap again but he held firm. "Sookie?"

"How about we do something else?"

"We can do anything, but please tell me why you don't want to shop with me."

She teared up while she shook her head. "I … I. I should go to bed."

"No, something upset you and I want to know what it was."

"I'm embarrassed."

"I don't understand."

"Eric. How exactly do you think I can go Christmas shopping?"

He groaned. "This is about money? Sookie, don't be ridicules. You can buy anything you want."

"Eric, that's not how I operate. I can't just take money from you."

"Well, you can't work, you need money. I want to do this."

"Why can't I get a job? Maybe you need a waitress at Fangtasia?"

"You cannot work at Fangtasia, a companion should never work and even if one did for some reason, it would NEVER be as a waitress."

"Oh, is there something wrong with being a waitress?" She pushed against him to finally get out of his grasp and stood, only because he finally allowed it.

"No, that's not what I meant."

"What did you mean?"

"Whether you like it or not, I am the Sheriff in this area, you are my human. I must provide for you."

"That's not what you said though. You said even if I did work, implying that there could be things I could do – it would not be as a waitress, implying that was an unacceptable profession."

"Sookie, don't be like this. I suppose some companions work, likely as something not in the public. It's the public aspect that's a problem, especially in public at a vampire bar."

Her argument deflated – a bit. "I can see that. But that doesn't help my predicament. I still have no money for Christmas gifts."

"Sookie, please don't be stupid and pigheaded. You have…"

"YOU DID NOT JUST CALL ME STUPID!" She spat now, standing with her hands on her hips. "Pigheaded, I own that, but not stupid."

Eric cursed himself for his wording. She was PISSED and she was justified. He tried to calm her. "Sookie, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called you stupid. I'm just frustrated that you won't accept what I'm offering when providing for your every need was always part of my plan." He tried to get her to sit again and succeeded. He thought of something that would help him out. "Even your Gran has accepted help."

"We already discussed the windows."

"It's more than the windows."

"What did you do?"

"Did you not tell me to send her money?"

She stilled and he could see her checking her memory for the conversation. "You helped her?" He nodded. "How?"

"I arranged for a very large insurance payout from your car accident claim. Bobby has filled the oil tank for the house and paid the bill. I've even gone to the electric company and paid up the next year based on last year's usage. The acres she tried to sell when you first moved in with her have been purchased by one of my holding companies, and my lawyer has already had them transferred to your name as a gift." Sookie misted up. "In January, she'll win the Publisher's Clearing House prize with a large payout. That should set her up to pay off the house and have extra in the bank for whatever."

Sookie threw her arms around Eric and cried. He took a moment to enjoy the feeling.

"Eric?"

"Yes Sookie."

"She doesn't enter that contest."

He chuckled. "I was originally going to glamour her to enter, but since she knows I'm the one helping out, she knows it's an act to explain her finances."

"Ok."

"So explain to me that your Gran can accept what I'm offering, and you can't?"

She looked up from her position tucked in his shoulder. "I admit you got me there, but you also need to understand that I was raised to earn my way. Gran can't earn her way right now, so her accepting the help is a necessity."

"Can you please give in on this?" He shifted her in his arms so she didn't need to strain to see him. "You know, I understand that many couples fight over money, but not usually because someone has too much that he wants to share with the other."

"We AREN'T a couple and where did you hear that?"

"We are a couple, we're certainly dating and we live together. I heard it from Pam. She reads Dear Abby and feeds me information to help me with you."

"Oh? What else has she helped with?"

He got that guilty look again. "She'll get me if I tell."

"I'll get you if you don't."

"You need to answer something – and be honest – before I can tell you." He paused, unsure of whether to go on. "I'm worried about something."

"Ok. But you can't feel my emotions, how will you know I'm lying."

"I'll know from your heartbeat, your eyes, your body temperature. Same way I know you were VERY turned on from our kiss."

She reddened with embarrassment. "Stop. Just ask the question."

"Do you still want to gain weight so I won't find you attractive?"

Her eyes grew wide and she screeched. "SHE TOLD YOU THAT? I'm going to kill her."

"I'll explain how I found out – but is it still true?"

"No, but I can't promise I'm losing any weight, those pastries are too" She stopped herself. "OH MY FUCKING GOD. She bought those because you like… OH MY GOD." He laughed at her realization. "She wasn't helping me, she was helping you?" He nodded his head. "I'm going to kill her. Wait, you really like pudgy?"

"Sookie, you aren't pudgy, you're perfect."

"You think I'm perfect?"

He kissed her nose then whispered in her ear. "If anything, you should gain weight."

"You're good for the ego – but we're getting off track. Now explain, how long ago did she tell you?"

"You and I were having a discussion about spending money on books, and when I used the pastries as a comparison, you thought I was calling you fat. Do you remember that?"

"Yes, and when you explained you also distracted me with the Halloween party."

"Well, when I was talking about what I said to Pam, I told her I wanted to explain that I like curves. She told me what you were doing ONLY because she was afraid if I told you I liked curves you would starve yourself. We didn't want you to get sick trying to make yourself less desirable to me."

"Ok, maybe I won't kill her."

"Good, I am quite fond of her."

"Yeah, me too."

"I'm fond of you too."

She smiled back at him. "I don't hate you anymore."

"Careful Sookie, I may swoon at your words."


	19. Landscape Designer

**Good news: A new chapter.**

**Bad news: I'm running a local Girls Scout camp this weekend. NO ELECTRONICS – and I still have tons to do to prep for the weekend – like everything.!**

**Too bad I can't just have a fanfiction camp – but the parents would likely frown at my content. Parents can be sooo picky.**

**I'll do what I can for chapters – but next week is bad too since I leave for LONDON on vacation! I'm hoping to write while I am there though. **

**Just warning you.**

**mags**

Chapter 18 - Landscape Designer

December 10, 2003

Eric rose and listened carefully. He couldn't hear footsteps or any voices, so he guessed that Sookie was in her cottage. He finished his Norse work, showered, and headed over, enjoying the early sunset in December. As he approached the cottage he heard music blaring from within. The day had been warm and Sookie left the windows open. He knocked, this was Sookie's private sanctuary after all, and in a moment he was greeted by Sookie's beaming smile.

"Are you ready Sookie?"

"Yep, let me turn off the music and we can go. I like your braids; I wish I could do that to my hair."

"I can braid your if you want."

"If it's not trouble, I'd like that."

"Trouble? To get to fondle your thick wavy hair? I don't think so. Let's stop in the house where I can grab a tie."

Twenty minutes later, they were walking to the SUV and Sookie's hair was in a complicated braid she could never have done on her own. "Stop playing with it."

"I'm not playing with it, I'm just feeling how tight they are yet it doesn't hurt."

"My people learned to braid like that to keep our hair clean as long as possible. That it happens to be stunning on you is a bonus. Of course, anything is stunning with you."

She blushed at his words and got in the car while Eric held the door open for her. She couldn't believe this was the same man she met in the warehouse just about 2 months ago.

On the way to the mall, Eric commented about the music he heard from her cottage. Sookie was playing something she called contemporary Christian. Thinking back over prior conversations, he didn't recall Sookie speaking about missing church, yet he heard comments from both Gran and Sookie related to Jesus and God. He asked about her beliefs and was stunned when she replied that while she was raised as a Christian, as was Gran, they both believed that all religions had value; that no one group was 'right'. This was different than most humans he met, many vehemently proclaiming that whatever they believed was the one and only true religion. When Sookie saw his stunned face, she commented. "Eric, how can anyone claim a one and true religion? Depending on where you live or how you were raised, you were exposed to a particular religion, or none, but I'll comment on that later. Does my God hold it against someone for where they were raised? If so, then wouldn't those not born where Christianity exists be, well, doomed? That's just stupid, cause wouldn't God then be responsible for them being doomed? Gran and I believe that the core of any religion is creation and that some divine intervention was required to get the universe started. Those scientists that don't believe in religion: I ask them – who created the dust and the particles that started everything? It all comes back to something divine. I don't care what he, she or they are called, somebody started something."

"You have some definite opinions on this."

"Oh, have I offended you or your Gods?"

"Not at all. I'm curious about something." She nodded to have him continue. "Why did you not go to college? You're quite intelligent, you're a critical thinker, you have so much potential."

"There was no money." He started to say something, and she put her hand up. "Hold on – let me explain. I know with our income, I could have gotten financial assistance, but if I was off at school, how would Gran have paid the bills?"

"So, it wasn't lack of desire?"

"Honestly, I never spent a moment thinking about it. I did poorly on tests at school and I always intended to work full time right after graduation. I was already working after school and weekends to help make ends meet."

"What about now?"

"What about now? What do you mean?"

"You can go to college now. I would love to see you take classes, we can spend time discussing them, that beautiful head of yours would be used to its full potential."

"What would I study?"

Eric was shocked her first response wasn't a refusal and he responded with some ideas. "How about comparative religion, history, English literature? You have interest in those – but really, you can study whatever you want."

"I assure you, it's only a bit of boredom that has me thinking about this."

"I understand, I was fully expecting 'fight Sookie' to emerge, I'm glad to see 'sweet Sookie' here instead."

"Don't start thinking I've become compliant."

He gave her a lopsided smile. "I would never think that."

They pulled into the mall parking lot and started on their shopping. Pam had provided a detailed list for Eric, and he simply grabbed the requested items and paid for them. Sookie shook her head and questioned the fun of that kind of shopping. Eric informed Sookie that Pam had been a very good girl and he had a surprise planned for her as well, but missing anything on her list just caused too much grief. Sookie lead Eric to a jewelry counter and started looking for her gift to Pam. She had come to care a great deal for her and had something specific in mind. "Sookie, I usually purchase jewelry from Tiffany or Cartier. Can we get some ideas here and order something from one of them?"

"I want something that says Best Friend. I know it's corny, and she'll probably hate…"

"She'll love it Sookie. In fact, I'll tell you what her surprise is, and we can coordinate."

"Ok."

"I got her a new car, how about a keychain that says Best Friend."

"That's a really good idea. But, I don't even see keychains here."

"We'll have it made. Maybe add a pink sapphire to it?"

Sookie smiled. "Is there time?"

"We'll search tonight." Taking her hand, he led her out into the open mall. "What do you still need to get?"

"I need to go to the Maternity Shop for Dawn, and then find something that says Daddy for Jason." They started walking towards the maternity store. "Oh, and I need cheap underwear for Pam from Sears. I want to hide her keychain inside a pair in a sealed bag. She hated that underwear that came in a bag."

Eric bellowed loudly enough that he caused a scene but they just kept walking. "Sookie, you are endlessly entertaining."

When they were leaving the mall, Eric's phone rang. "Pam."

"Eric, I need you at Fangtasia for a Sheriff thing."

"Ok, let me drop Sookie at home and"

"It can't wait; the mall is only down the road."

"What about Sookie?"

"We'll keep her in your office or the employee room."

"Fine." He ended the call and turned to Sookie. "Sookie, I'm needed at Fangtasia and Pam says it can't wait. We'll park out back and go directly into my office." They had gotten in the car and started out of the parking lot.

Sookie was quiet for a moment or two; then confessed. "I'm scared. What if there are other vampires there, what if I screw up?"

"I'm hoping you won't even run into another vampire, but it you do, don't talk back to me. That's the most important thing. If you need to say something, just say 'Eric' calmly."

"You mean, Master?"

"You don't have to call me master, or look down or any of that other crap. I'm your companion." He sure as hell wasn't going to have her call him master after the time it took to call him Eric.

"Oh, are those the rules? I thought…"

"It's not really the rule, but I don't give a fuck."

"Ok. And, I'll just stay in the office?"

"Or the employee room. I'll give you a laptop, you can search for degrees." He guided the car into his parking space. He was around the car and reaching for Sookie's hand while he scanned the area.

"Eric!"

"What Sookie?"

"I don't smell like you."

"Shit, let's get in the office."

Pam was waiting, tapping her foot impatiently when they walked in. "Pam, what's so important?"

"Andre is waiting in your booth. I kept him out there figuring you would bring Sookie into your office."

Eric cursed loudly, scaring Sookie. "Who is Andre, why are you so upset?"

"He is the Queen's child and her second in command. Pam, you need to hide Sookie."

"HIDE me! What will he do?"

"I'd rather not find out." He paced for a moment. "I have to get out there. Pam, get Sookie my laptop and we'll set her up in the employee room, just in case." When she left, he turned to Sookie. "I'm sorry about this, but" he hesitated.

"But what?"

"As you reminded me, you don't smell like me. We need to exchange blood, and quickly. I cannot guarantee that he won't see you in the hall or somewhere else, and I need to be able to protect you."

"We'll talk about it later, just do it."

Eric moved to stand behind Sookie. "You can't hesitate when I put my wrist in front of you- we need to be fast." She nodded. He bit his wrist and presented it to Sookie; then he hastily prepared and bit into her neck. Enjoying the taste of Sookie he remembered, but not the subtle sunshine flavor and sweetness. Once again, the flavor exploded in his mouth and he moaned at it. That combined with Sookie's actions of licking and sucking on his wrist had him hard. Not unaffected either, Sookie moaned with pleasure herself. Eric cursed Andre for ruining the act. He wanted to enjoy it, but now it was rushed and he needed to stop short. He quickly healed her neck, and started to walk Sookie down the hall to the employee room. He stopped at the door and she looked up. "Your lips are bloody," he said before he bent to claim her mouth.

While enjoying their kiss, they heard Pam from the other end of the hall, speaking so both Sookie and Eric could hear. "Yes Andre, I was just coming to get you. Eric has arrived."

They parted quickly and Eric's last words were like a command. "I'll send Pam in with a laptop so you can get that research done on the night bloomers."

Back in his office, Eric indicated for Andre to sit in one of his desk chairs as he moved to sit behind the desk. "Andre, this visit is unexpected."

Pam joined them as Andre answered. "I'm making the rounds. I didn't realize you would not be in tonight."

"You just beat me here; I was picking up Christmas presents for Pam." He paused as they stared off for a moment. "Will you need a donor this evening?"

"Yes, thank you. That girl I saw briefly in the hall will do nicely."

Eric steeled his features, having known his request for Sookie would be a possibility. "She's not a donor. She's my landscape designer and was here to review some plans and continue some research on the night blooming plants I requested."

"I think she is more than your landscape designer. I'm positive I smelled blood when I entered the hallway; I'm sure she could be convinced to donate more tonight."

"Andre, you know we don't have unwilling donors in Area 5. Well, a few vampires thought otherwise last month and they are now re growing their fangs."

Andre glared at Eric, unsure if he really was trying to behave or if there was a veiled threat to him personally. _'I'll seek out that girl on my own after this meeting_.' Finally, he said. "Yes, you're right of course, we only want willing donors."

"Pam, can you select a donor for Andre, please?"

"Certainly."

The meeting with Andre was a waste. He wanted to review the monthly reports Eric prepared for December in person, claiming it was a routine audit. The donor Pam selected was brought in and Andre drank from her while Eric drank from an additional donor Pam selected from him. He cursed that he had to ruin the taste of Sookie's blood still in his mouth with the blood from the fangbanger, but Pam was on her game: Andre would have questioned Eric if he didn't drink.

With the 'audit' complete, Pam escorted Andre out to the main floor and Eric left to collect Sookie. He was surprised to find the employee room empty. Pam came back to the hallway to explain in a whisper. "Thalia drove her back to your house and is staying to guard her. Andre just looked too interested."

"Thank you for getting her out of here Pam. I have no doubt Andre is looking for her at the bar or on the dance floor now."

"He did a round to look for her. I'll go see if he left."

She returned as Eric was packing up some items from his desk. "He's gone. Why didn't you just introduce Sookie as your companion? That's why you registered her."

"Too soon, I saved that only if it was a last resort. We had to exchange quickly before Andre came in."

"How did she take that? How does she feel now?"

"You could tell she wasn't happy, but she said nothing. I'm sure I'll hear about it at home. I'm headed there now; I can feel she's still upset."

OOOoooOOOooo

Sookie was waiting for Eric in the den when he arrived home. "I was worried."

"Andre doesn't scare me."

"It didn't seem like that when we first got there."

"You've got me there. I was worried about you and the situation. And Sookie, I know I already said this, but I'm sorry about how we had to do our exchange."

"You're sorry about how we did it, not that we had to do it?"

"No Sookie, I won't lie. I wanted to exchange blood. I want to exchange even again, but we should talk about what that means."

"I appreciate that you want to be open and honest, but can we do it some other night?"

"You have a headache." It was a statement, based on the pain he could feel through the bond. "And a bad one." He noticed she was keeping her distance and hoped it was the headache.

"Yeah, Fangtasia is LOUD." She didn't clarify that it was the minds that were loud, not actual spoken voices or music. She also didn't mention the thoughts of sex, much of it with Eric that flooded her mind – some of it pretty nasty looking. While many thought of Eric sex, several of the women complained in their thoughts that Eric hadn't been taking fangbangers to the office as he used to. Not knowing what to think about that, she tucked it away.

"You know, the hot tub is very good for headaches."

"Like you get headaches and would know. I don't think that's a good idea tonight. I need to get to bed." She saw his jaw tighten a bit. "I do have a quick question though." He nodded for her to continue. "Earlier tonight when we went to Fangtasia."

"Yes."

"You said 'I'm your companion', not you're my companion."

"Caught that huh?"

"That's not really the correct phrase, I mean, it's ownership for vampires, and I would be YOUR companion."

"Yes, and when we are around other vampires, you would be mine, not the other way around."

"But when it's just us?"

"When it's just us, I'm yours Sookie."

"I still, I mean, it's still too fast."

"You've been here for weeks. But you can have all the time you need."

"Eric." She was still upset at the 'sex with Eric' images from Fangtasia. "I've enjoyed some time with you, but time may never make this happen. You may never be the man for me." Considering what she saw in the minds of some of the women and knowing she would NEVER do some of those things; she really thought it was more likely she could never be the woman for him.

His face fell, but he quickly adjusted and instead of lashing out from being hurt at her words he turned the situation into an opportunity for a lewd comment – something safe for him. "Oh but Sookie, I'm plenty man for you." He accompanied it with his usual leer.

"I'm headed to bed where it's safe."

"I'll walk you to your door for my goodnight kiss."

THAT she couldn't handle after all those images. "Not tonight Eric. I just, I can't."

He respected her wishes and hoped it was just the headache, but something nagged at him and he wondered what happened at Fangtasia when he had left her alone for a while.

OOOoooOOOooo

"A Christmas party? What the fuck Eric."

"I have no idea what she's doing, or possibly up to. We have to go; you can't refuse an invitation from the Queen."

"What about Sookie?"

"The invitation included pets and companions, but I'm not ready for her to be around so many vampires, especially at the palace with all the state's sheriffs and the members of her court."

"She is your companion, and now she smells like you. Are you sure you just aren't hiding her."

"You could be right, but this is only next week, I need more time to plan her introduction."

"Fair enough, but we will be gone two days."

Eric was quiet after that comment, trying to think of the best scenario for keeping Sookie safe while he was away. Part of him, the strategist, was concerned that Andre had smelled something too wonderful at Fangtasia a few days ago and he was hoping that Eric would either bring Sookie to the palace OR leave her here, unguarded. Neither was going to happen. If Thalia was around, she could guard Sookie, but she had just left on her annual trip to her homeland, Greece. Indira certainly could be trusted, but she alone would not be able to protect Sookie fully, she just wasn't old enough or skilled enough as a warrior. Godric, now was that a possibility? Godric would probably travel with Theresa, so he would need to come clean about that relationship ahead of time. Yes, he was going to do things right and be upfront instead of getting caught later. Having made his decision, he called his maker.

Godric was actually quite happy for the opportunity to visit Eric and meet Sookie. As predicted, he would travel with Theresa, so Eric knew he was in for a difficult discussion with Sookie. He told Pam to close up and headed home.

The sound of Christmas carols was spilling into the garage from the house. '_For someone who thinks Fangtasia is loud, she certainly plays her music at a pretty high volume_.' He chuckled. '_Maybe that's to cover up her own singing voice. How anyone so beautiful and perfect could sing so badly, I just don't know_.' Still, the loud music covered his approach and Sookie squealed out loud when he vamped into the house and grabbed her from behind, her hands full of the pine garland she had been winding around his stairs. "ERIC! One of these days you're going to regret sneaking up on me!"

"I don't think you can hurt me Sookie. I'll take my chances."

"Ok, but don't blame me if I wet my pants OR YOU one of these times." He looked stricken at her words for a moment until she laughed at him. "Sorry, you may forget some aspects of being human, but that's a real possibility. Just warning you. Why are you home early anyway? Was there an especially smelly group of Fangbangers?"

"They're always smelly Sookie. No human has ever smelled as sweet to me as you do." To prove his point, he nuzzled her neck and inhaled deeply while she was still in his arms. Sookie was distant for a few days after Fangtasia, but slowly they returned to their usual flirtations and he had been relieved. Now he was worried distant Sookie was going to come back after this talk. "I came home to talk to you about something happening next week."

"You have that tense look about you. I'm not going to like it, am I?"

He nodded in acknowledgement and carried her to the couch in the den. "Sookie, I received an invitation from the Queen to attend a Christmas party at the palace. The trip will take two nights next week."

"The Queen has a Christmas party? Do I have to go?"

"The Queen has never had a Christmas party before; I'm not sure what she's up to. As for you going? While I would love to dress you up and dance all night with you, I'm not ready for you to be exposed like that yet."

"Dancing would be fun, but you're right, the Queen and all those sheriffs, I wouldn't enjoy it anyway." She stopped for a moment; then smiled. "Can I stay with Gran while you're gone?"

"That would be too risky. I've arranged for someone to come here and guard you."

"Why wouldn't the usual guards be enough?" She looked at him as she asked and she could see he was trying to formulate his response. She understood. "This could have something to do with Andre; did he smell me or something?"

'_Far more clever than we ever thought._' He smiled. "That is my concern my little strategist, and while I am unhappy about the risk, I'm thrilled that you pulled that together so quickly." She smiled back and he enjoyed it for a moment, knowing the next part of the conversation would be difficult. "My maker, Godric, is coming in to stay here with you, while Pam and I are gone. He is bringing his companion, Theresa."

"Oh, I'm excited to meet Godric. Will I like Theresa?"

"Godric is also happy for the opportunity. As for Theresa, well, there is something you should know before she arrives." He took an unnecessary breath and started to explain his history. He was honest with Sookie about his relationship, except, of course the reason why he had taken her to love him. As he expected, Sookie was horrified, weeping at some parts for a woman she never met. Eric explained how many centuries ago, vampires often created slaves in this manner – but they were necessary for survival. He willingly admitted that was not the reason he took Theresa. The why was a problem, as Godric forbid him from discussing his ultimatum. He promised Sookie he would never lie to her, so he explained that the reason was something that he could not share as he had been forbidden to discuss it. Sookie had understood that explanation before; he wasn't sure that would be the case tonight. When he was done, he tried to pull Sookie to him as she cried and processed the information, but she recoiled from his touch. "I need time to think about this. I'm going to my cottage." He was powerless to do anything but watch her walk away.

Even by the next week when Godric and Theresa arrived, Sookie had still apparently not accepted the situation with Theresa. She still rejected Eric's attempts to talk about anything besides what she called business. He tried a few times in the first few days to touch her, something she had been accepting but now rejected. Sookie's reaction created a new feeling in Eric: shame. He was so distraught that Pam hadn't teased him about the emotion, even though she knew he felt it from him. That Pam was being overly kind about the situation almost made it worse.

Godric arrived late the night before Eric and Pam were due to fly to New Orleans. Sookie immediately took to Godric and Theresa. Eric claimed to have work to complete before the trip so he left them alone.

"So Sookie, Eric told me about your cottage, would you show it to Theresa and me?"

"Certainly. Follow me."

Theresa ooo'd and ahh'd over the plant area. "Godric, look at this planting area."

"What's the phrase for that? Ah yes, Sookie you have a green thumb."

"Yes, I enjoy plants. Right now, I'm trying to expand the night blooming plants we have. I've been rooting some of the one I purchased for spring planting, trying to add more. When I was working on the landscape lighting, the mentor Eric found for me is extremely knowledgeable horticulturist, beyond just landscaping, and has worked with plant grafting. I've been working with him to expand or change the varieties of night bloomers. I feel a bit like Frankenstein, but it's been fun. I have some successes and many failures."

"As it would be with anything Sookie. I commend you for expanding your skills and trying."

Theresa broke in with a huge yawn. "Oh, Theresa, Pam told me you don't keep vampire hours due to your job. Let me show you to your guest room. Godric, you can wait here if you want."

"I will thank you."

Back in one of the guest rooms, Sookie checked that the instructions she received were correct. "To confirm, you and Godric will be sleeping separately for this trip?" She looked down at her hands. "I don't mean to pry; I just want to be sure you're comfortable."

"Yes Sookie, this is what we discussed. I don't have access to Eric's light tight chambers, so this will enable me to wake up as I normally do and go about my day."

"Very well. I'll leave you to your sleep. I'm going to pick Godric's brain for a history lesson."

"Enjoy that Sookie. He's very forthcoming about his past to those closest to him." Sookie's face grew concerned. "Don't worry Sookie that means you as an extension of your relationship with Eric."

Sookie hadn't pried yet, she really didn't want to dip into Theresa's head, until now. Mentioning the relationship with Eric caused too much curiosity and she lowered her shields as she left the bedroom. Theresa's thoughts were very clear: '_Glad he found someone. She seems very sweet, and Godric has assured me he hasn't hurt her at all. I don't think he would given how badly he feels about what happened with me. I'm pleased that we finally made peace_.' She put her shields back up and headed down the stairs. Sookie mulled over what she had heard. '_They made peace. I wonder when that happened and she knows he feels guilty. I'm glad for both of them. I hate that he did it, and I want to know why, but their peace over the situation is good._'

She found Godric in the sitting area of her cottage, looking over her current book The Long Ships. "Did my son pick this one for you?"

"No he frowned when it arrived. I think he prefers that I learn about his people by listening to his stories, which I do enjoy. I like to read though and then question him endlessly. He can get frustrated easily when I share sections of the books on Vikings; then ask him to respond. He's too easy to rile up." She giggled.

"I'm glad he found you."

"Would you share something with me?"

"Ask me anything. I will tell you if it is a vampire secret." She grumped at him. "Seems you can get easily riled as well. But go on, ask me."

"Would you tell me why you turned Eric? What did you see in him?"

Godric nodded and paused for a moment before he started. "He was dying, so close Eric would tell you that Odin's ravens were circling. . His men had already placed his broken body on a funeral pyre and they were simply waiting. I couldn't let him go. His battles were a sight to behold. You see, I had been watching him for several days: his leadership, his fighting. Wandering the world for 1000 years had made me lonely and when I saw your Eric, my heart sang. I killed his fighters and approached him. When I approached him, he literally thought I was death, there to claim him." He chuckled at the memory. "I guess I was. I explained what I was and asked him to walk the nights with me. I told him we would be father, son, brother to each other and he accepted. He certainly made me proud. We fought together, we survived together and more recently we prospered together."

"You love him." It was a statement, not a question but Godric nodded. "I'm glad you turned him. For him to have died and burned would have been a waste."

"I agree. Now, enough about death, tell me about your planned college courses."

OOOoooOOOooo

The next night, Pam and Eric were flying to New Orleans and Pam was saying goodbye to Sookie in her cottage where she had spent most of her time the past week. "Sookie, he regrets the relationship with Theresa and he's completely broken thinking you will never smile at him again, or let him touch you."

"I know Pam, but can't you see how horrible it was?"

"I wish he hadn't felt the need to disclose everything."

"It's better that way. What if I found out later that he withheld information? That would be worse."

"So does that mean there is hope?"

Ignoring Pam's question she asked something else. "Can I ask you something, and you'll be honest?"

"I'll try, you know some things we…"

"Yeah, vampire secrets. I know. Pam, does he like doing that stuff?"

"What stuff?"

"Whips and causing pain? Creating a true slave?"

"Wow, nothing like asking a loaded question when he only gave me a few minutes to say goodbye. Thanks muffin." She paused and considered her answer. "I think you need to separate Theresa as a specific um, let's call it an issue, in his history. Not even he 'liked' what was happening but he had his reasons, which are…"

"Yeah, secret. Ok, I get that. But what about in general?" Sookie asked because she met some woman named Yvetta at Fangtasia. The meeting was brief as Yvetta came into the employee room for a few minutes to use the bathroom, but when Sookie mentioned she was there with Eric – because Yvetta asked – she was flooded with images of bondage, whipping, some pretty heavy stuff.

"Sookie, he's existed for over 1000 years, he's tried many different things. I gather you are asking because you are unsure about a sexual relationship with him?" She nodded. "Sookie, you need to discuss this with Eric, but his interest in you isn't sex." Sookie raised an eyebrow, silently challenging the statement. "YES, he wants to have sex with you, but he wants YOU: your companionship, your trust, your love. Knowing Eric as I do, the physical relationship would be an extension of those things, not simply physical gratification."

"You didn't really answer my question."

"What Eric may have done with prior women doesn't mean he needs that with every woman. I know he is prepared to remain faithful to you – that is already a huge change for him." Sookie heard he mumble that he's already given up fangbangers and when she asked Pam to repeat it, she ignored her and continued her discussion. "Sookie, is your question about what he likes part of the reason you have kept your distance? He's been assuming it was because you couldn't get past Theresa."

"I hadn't thought about my feelings that way – but I think you are right. I can move passed Theresa. I guess I'm concerned about what he would want to do on a regular basis."

"Well sugar cake; that you need to discuss with him."

"But if I discuss that, it could lead him on."

"And why are you still holding back?"

"What if I only have feelings because it's like the Stockholm Syndrome? What if he is just suffering from the inverse, Lima syndrome_?_

"Sookie, you have unexpected depths. To answer your question though, I have done some research. He's not suffering from Lima syndrome. I can tell you, the first night within an hour of meeting you – he wanted you. He did not develop sympathy for you after you were captive. For Stockholm Syndrome? I don't think that's the case. Sookie, do you feel the threat of death or injury from Eric? Are you in isolation? Does Eric dictate everything that you can and cannot do? The level of trauma and fear of your captor harming or killing you is a huge part of the syndrome. I don't think that's the case. Do you?"

"No, I mean, I'll think more about it, but no."

"Good, I really must get back to the house so we can leave. Would you like to join me and say goodbye to Eric?" She added for good measure. "You know, you simply can't predict these events at the palace. He could be injured or killed if someone was planning a coup while we are there."

"Guilt Pam?"

"Is it working?"

She followed Pam to the house while she thought about their conversation. The truth was Sookie had missed Eric during the past week. She had grown accustomed to his caresses, their talks, his foot rubs, even eating dinner together had become a habit that abruptly stopped and she hated it. She spent time thinking about Theresa and realized that it was in the past, as were many things he had done that she probably didn't even know about. Could she hold him accountable for a thousand years of mistakes? No. As for Theresa, she didn't even know why he had done it, though she sure as hell wondered what could possibly be the reason. In the end, she decided Pam was right, she could move past the Theresa situation, and she needed to talk to him about his ideas on their possible intimacies. Her making decisions about them as a couple by just assuming what he wanted was wrong.

As she approached him in the foyer she smiled brightly for the first time in a week. The weight of her concerns was gone, and she reached to him for a goodbye hug. Standing there, just waiting to see if she would come to say goodbye, Eric gasped when he heard two sets of footsteps walking through the house. When he saw her smile, his heart soared and he welcomed her in his arms. Though Godric and Pam were in the foyer, for a moment he ignored them and simply enjoyed Sookie. He held her for several moments just drinking her essence in. When she looked up and stood on her toes for a kiss, he thought his knees would buckle from under him. When their lips met, it hit him: He was in love with Sookie Stackhouse. Now he knew what Godric was talking about, why he set Eric on this path.

Sookie broke for air and he wanted to say something. He wanted to proclaim his love, but he knew she would not be ready. Through feeling her emotions, he knew that she cared for him - held affection if you will, but love? She wasn't there yet, so he remained quiet while caressing her back as she clung to him. That she had forgiven him was a huge step and he would be satisfied leaving her with this kiss and embrace.

"I must go to make the plane."

"I know. Don't get hurt or killed. ….. well more killed."

"It's called true death and I have no intention of leaving you like that. Two nights, I'll be back. I will miss you."

"I'll miss you too." He kissed her forehead one more time and walked through the door.

Godric and Pam had left the foyer when the kissing started, and they were waiting by the car. Godric pledged that Sookie would be safe until his return, and Pam and Eric left for the airport.

After a moment, he turned to Pam in the car. She was smiling, having felt her maker's emotions. "Pam, I'm grateful. I don't know what you said to her, I'm not even sure I care what you said to her. Thank you."

"I'll tell you some of what we discussed but some things she needs to talk to you about in her own time. But, we have the whole plane ride to do that. Right now, we can discuss how much you want to thank me."

"Unlimited pairs Pam, and matching bags."

She smiled as she pulled up the Louboutin website on her phone.


	20. Unwrapped Presents

**Cheers from London! I finally got my hands on a borrowed PC so I could post. I'm enjoying my visit (my sister and her family live here) so thanks to those of you who wished me well on my trip. I return home on Wednesday late, and am back to work (WHAA) on Thursday, and that will be a complete nightmare, so I cannot promise a next post date. In the interim, enjoy this long one.**

**Many of you had concerns about Eric dating Sookie and still seeing fangbangers - I hope I clarified that in this chapter. I was trying to convey what was (or was not) happening in a subtle way - but I guess it was too subtle, so sorry for those that were freaked out by it. And Sookie? Her opinion is - she's not ready to fill that role, so she's accepting/putting her head in the sand as far as she is concerned. But I'll stop now and let the chapter play out. Yes - these two have more to talk about and the head in sand thing for both of them could come back to bite them - but they are BOTH new to this. **

**mags**

Chapter 19 - Unwrapped Presents

December 20, 2003

"Ladies, I have some Dallas work to do, so I'll leave you to cooking your dinner."

"Good night Godric."

"It's pretty early Theresa, you're saying goodnight already?"

"I know how lost you get in work. I'm pretty sure I'll be in bed before you emerge from the office."

"You know me too well sweetheart." He kissed her forehead and left to use Eric's office.

Sookie guided Theresa to her cottage for dinner. "I was hoping you would like to eat with me in my cottage. I haven't entertained anyone yet since Eric and Pam don't eat. Potts and I always eat in the main house."

"I'm honored to be your first guest."

"I'll set the table. I prepped dinner already in the main house since I have only a kitchenette out here."

"What can I do to help?"

"Just sit. I'm serious, I want to play hostess."

She could feel Theresa was nervous about something so she dipped into her head. '_I wonder if she knows the history between Eric and me. I don't want to say something by mistake here_.'

Sookie decided to be a bit forthcoming so she could put her at ease. "Theresa. I just wanted a moment alone and out of earshot so I could be sure you're aware that Eric told me everything. We don't need to talk about it, but I just wanted you to know."

"Oh, I'm glad he told you. I don't really want to talk about it if you don't mind. I will tell you though, I have forgiven him. Made peace if you will."

"That's good to know. I struggled with it, but it's also part of his past …. Well, as you said, let's not talk about it." She glanced around the room looking for a new topic and spied her Dad's stereo. "Do you happen to like 1970's rock music? I have my Dad's old vinyl albums."

"Oooh, let me see what you've got." She rushed over to the stereo. "Derek and the Dominos? Van Morrison? I had two older brothers that listened to these – on vinyl. Can we play these?"

"Sure. I love sharing these memories. My dad loved his albums. We would dance to many of these around the farm house."

The two played music, ate and talked until Theresa started yawning. "I'm sorry I don't keep your hours."

"No problem. I have some Christmas wrapping I should do anyway. I'll walk you back to your room."

"That's not necessary, I can find my way."

"Goodnight then."

"Goodnight to you Sookie."

Now alone with her thoughts, Sookie spent some time thinking about the past week. As she said to Pam, she would think about the discussion they had on the Stockholm Syndrome. Pam had left her laptop for Sookie so she got online to do some research. Everything she read about it backed up Pam's comments. In all the time with Eric, she never felt that her life was in danger, there was no violence. Even though she lived with Eric, she wasn't treated like a captive at all. What really surprised her about her research was the relief she felt. '_Geez, I guess I really didn't want it to be false attraction or well, if I admit it to myself, false affection_.'

Having resolved those concerns, she also mulled over the Yvetta crap she had seen. '_I guess the main difference between Yvetta and Theresa is: Yvetta ENJOYED all that. She wanted it and craved more_.' She shuddered at the thought. '_Theresa didn't …. but they made peace, it's not my concern. I know I need to discuss the whole sex and expectation thing with Eric, but I'm just going to be Scarlett and think about it later. Talking about sex isn't that comfortable. I'll wait and see how things are after Christmas_.'

Thinking of Christmas had her scratching her head over his gift. She had come up with several ideas and now here it was, December 19th and she hadn't made a final decision. '_Time for one of those lists, ideas or pros and cons I guess._' She was lost in thought over her list when there was a knock on her door from Godric. She greeted him warmly. "Come in. Did you get your work done?"

"I did. Did you have a nice visit with Theresa?"

"Wonderful – she loves listening to old rock and roll and I was thrilled to share my father's collection with her."

"That sounds like a nice evening. Theresa mentioned to me earlier that you enjoy history and that you wanted to pick my brain." Sookie nodded shyly. "Come, let us sit and I will answer your questions."

"I don't want to pry on anything too personal, why don't you tell me anything about your life, I'm certain I will enjoy it."

"I will tell you about my human years in Gaul."

"Are you sure you want to talk about that? Eric told me you lived in Gaul when Caesar launched the Gallic Wars."

"You do not wish to hear about Caesar?"

"That's not it, I don't want to cause you pain."

"My dear, I am long over the loss of my family from those days. As Eric told you, I was living in Gaul when Caesar invaded. He needed gold for his debts and bodies for both the military and slavery. A million of us were taken as slaves, a million perished."

Sookie gasped. "I had no idea it involved that many people. That's horrible. And for greed!"

"Yes, it was a horrible time for my people."

"So did you go into the military?"

"No, I was too young to serve in the military. Instead, I was separated from my family and taken for slavery. After traveling back with Caesar's men, I was assigned to a master and worked the fields. Some of my tattoos were from my master. They are designations of his house and my work."

"Geez, and to think I thought they were beautiful."

"Some tattoos were my choice, so do not worry. I know many humans are fascinated by them."

"You're being so open about your human life. I guess centuries can be mellowing."

"Yes, I suppose."

They continued to talk almost until dawn when Sookie could no longer stay awake. She enjoyed the history but also some of the stories he told about Eric and their travels. As she readied for bed she realized she was thankful for the time apart from Eric. It gave her time to think about him and their relationship. She realized she was no longer worried about moving forward. Did they have details to deal with? Yes, but that was no different than any other couple. She found herself really missing him as well and hoped he was safe as they had their party that night.

OOOoooOOOooo

Deciding it was finally time to broach the subject of fangbangers and Yvetta, Pam turned to Eric on the plane to New Orleans and braced herself for the discussion. "Eric."

"Yes Pam."

"You finally figured out that you love her, didn't you?"

He sighed. He did love her, but did he want to talk about it? Given that she felt it all through their maker/child bond, it was pointless to deny it. "You feel it so why ask?"

"I did feel it, when you were just in the foyer before we left, the feeling hit me like a huge wave. I'm just being nosey. Does she know you haven't been with anyone else for weeks?"

"It hasn't been weeks….."

"Think Eric, when was the last time you took a fangbanger to the office at Fangtasia?"

He admitted that had been weeks, but he'd also been to Yvetta's. "Nameless fangbangers has been weeks, but I've been to Yvetta's apar….."

"You've been to her apartment a few times. I know. But when was the last time?"

He took a moment to think about it. "You're right, it's been a few weeks and I haven't even thought about it."

"So, when are you going to tell her? Don't you think she should know that you're already exclusive? That you're ready to be more with her?"

"Don't you think it will scare her a bit? That maybe I'm being pushy?"

"Ok, so don't tell her the anything more part, just tell her what you've stopped doing."

"You're sure it won't upset her, pressure her?"

"She's coming to terms with her feelings. It's the right time. You can take away my credit cards if I'm wrong, and I'll talk her back from the ledge if she freaks. Do it when we're back home. Now, we have to focus on enjoying this party."

"Fine." He grimaced out.

"You don't seem fine about it."

"Not the discussion, just this whole party, having to wait to see Sookie, worrying about her. That we have to fly in and lose all of tonight so we can be at the start of the party at sunset tomorrow just pisses me off. We can't even stay at my house. It's just not feeling right to me."

"Godric is more than capable to handle anything, and we'll leave the party early since we have to be there at first dark tomorrow night."

"Oh we're definitely leaving early."

OOOoooOOOooo

"Your Majesty."

"Eric, Pam, Merry Christmas." He quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Yes, I know this is unusual, but Andre insisted. He claimed it would be good for us to do something human."

"Andre wanted to do something human?" He chuckled with the Queen but inside he knew this was some kind of ploy. "Where are your other children, Sigebert and Wybert? I haven't seen them yet."

"Well, this will be announced later tonight, but I am in negotiations with Arkansas for marriage. Andre informed me something came up with their envoy and we needed to send my boys out on an errand. Honestly, I think they were relieved to not attend the party."

"I can imagine so. I believe I will go visit with the other sheriffs for a bit. Enjoy your party my Queen."

"You as well, Eric, Pam."

He was on his phone texting Godric as soon as he could find an inconspicuous corner. It was times like these that it would be nice to need a human moment to tuck into a restroom, but that wasn't possible.

E: I just discovered that the Berts are not here.

G: Understood. At my age, I could take them out.

E: They would have to attack first; they are the Queen's children.

G: Do not worry about us. If they show up on the property, that will be justification enough. I will keep Sookie inside the main house and alert Cara as well.

E: Thank you. Did anything happen at home today?

G: Sookie's brother called, seems her neighbor died, and when I questioned Cara, she said Sookie wasn't upset when she got the call, it was more like gossip. Apparently this guy was a hermit and had little to do with anyone in town.

E: So you don't think I need to arrange for her to attend any service?

G: I asked Sookie after I got the update from Cara, and she said she would just send flowers from her and Gran since Gran's away on some strange battlefield tour right now and cannot attend either. There was no church service planned, only the burial.

E: Sookie can explain the battlefield tour.

G: Eric she did, but I still don't get it.

Eric chuckled at his maker's response and offered his own

E: Neither do I, but none of the locals in their group have ever fought in a war, so they don't have our perspective

G: I will remain confused then. Now go back to the party and appear as if nothing is wrong. I can feel your panic, you must control it.

Although on edge for the entire night, Eric stayed at the party giving the appearance of nothing being wrong. Godric texted him with confirmations that there were no problems each time a patrol finished a walk around his property. Even with those updates, he knew he wouldn't relax until he was home with Sookie. Leaving the party early, he and Pam boarded their plane and arrived home shortly before 5AM. Through the bond, he knew Sookie was asleep, but was surprised to find her in the den with Godric reading in the chair next to her.

"She didn't go to bed yet?"

"No and my instructions were for you to wake her when you arrived home." Godric's comments made Eric grin, a wide almost childish grin. "I can see and feel how happy that makes you." He reached out for Pam. "Come Pam, we'll retire and give them some alone time."

"But I missed her too."

"PAMELA, come with me now." Godric insisted his voice was firm, but not loud since he didn't want to wake Sookie.

The toes were calling him, even if they were hidden in another pair of ridiculously large men's socks. '_Why does she like to wear these_?' He wondered, but that didn't stop him from starting his foot rub. Seconds later her eyes opened and she gave him a sleepy smile. "Hi."

"Hi yourself." He leaned over to kiss her. "I'm glad you wanted me to wake you."

"I missed you and when Godric told me you were on the plane, I knew I wanted to see you before you rested for the day. I'm really glad I am seeing you, I love the way you look in a tux."

"I missed you too. And you are so glamorous in your nightshirt and these socks."

"I love my sleep socks."

"Fair enough, I'll stop teasing you – well about that."

"So you came over to tease me?"

He nodded. "I also need to talk to you about something."

"Ok." She sat up and stretched. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Fangbangers."

"I don't understand. Why would I want to talk about fangbangers?"

"Well, it's something that's important for us." She nodded for him to continue. "Sookie, you know I'm all done with all the fangbangers. Actually, I have been done with all of them for a while."

"What?! I'm not sure how I feel about that. No, I know how I feel about it – I feel pressured."

'_Goddamn Pam talking me into this, I knew she would feel pressured. Time to do damage control._' He moved to pull her on his lap. "Sookie, can you at least acknowledge we are dating, a couple?"

She thought for a moment. "I can."

"Then I give you my faithfulness. No more women for sexual relief."

"Eric, I said we can be a couple, I'm not ready for sex."

"I know. I'm prepared to wait. I didn't tell you think to you to make you feel pressured. I just know we can't build anything if I keep having sex with other women."

"What about blood?"

"I would love to have only your blood at this point, but there are some circumstances where I will need to share in donors for vampire ceremony or pretense, or for my survival. But in either of those situations, it will only be blood, no sex."

She smiled. "I get that." She picked up one of his hands to play with his fingers. "When did you decide all this anyway?"

"It wasn't a conscious decision - more that my behavior changed slowly in the past few weeks. Pam's the one who pointed it out to me on the plane ride down. I stopped having interest in the fangbangers and instead started taking more and more bagged blood to feed. Skipping fangbangers for days turned into weeks and now here we are. I guess my body didn't want anyone else even if my head was a bit slower to catch up."

One of Sookie's Christmas gift ideas for Eric came to mind and after having this little talk and she knew it was the right one. "I'm glad we talked. I accept your faithfulness and we'll just continue dating – even though we live together – and see where this goes."

"Does this mean we're going steady?"

"Oh hell, I don't know. Did we get that dating rule book yet?" She yawned as she spoke.

"I thought we were doing it all wrong and had just accepted that we were."

"Hmm, I'll think about it tomorrow but now, I'm really tired."

"Well then, let's get you tucked in Miss Stackhouse." He rose with her and carried her to bed, tucking her in with a last kiss before he headed to his day chamber.

Pam and Godric broke into wide smiles that matched Eric's as he entered the chamber. He just turned to them and said. "Quiet."

OOOoooOOOooo

"Sigebert, Wybert, were you successful?"

"Partially Andre. We killed Compton's relative as you requested. We looked for the Stackhouse girl in that town, but found she moved to Shreveport. Her Grandmother wasn't home either of the two nights we were there. We found out later she was on some trip with a few of the locals. The timing was off to glamour her for anything about the Stackhouse girl."

"What else did you find out about the Stackhouse girl?"

"Nobody knew anything about her being a landscaper. In fact, most were confused when we asked since according to them, she was a waitress in a bar owned by a shifter until she was held captive."

"Anybody say anything about Northman, his presence in her life?"

"That's the good news, she must just be a donor for him; nobody had any information about a relationship."

"That is good news. The idiot hasn't claimed her so she's up for grabs." He smiled widely. "Yes, very good news."

OOOoooOOOooo

"I packed the car already." She pointed to the SUV, full of wrapped presents. "We're still exchanging our gifts at home tomorrow night, right?"

"Yes." He loved that she openly referred to his house as home. "Are you sure you got everything?"

She rolled her eyes, and dragged him to the car. She pointed out the stack of gifts for each person, her clothing bag, Tina in her carrier, and the bag in his hands with his own clothes for the evening. "Am I missing anything?"

"No, I just wanted to be sure."

"You're a pain in the ass."

"You have a pain in your ass, should I check it out?" He said, as his hands reached for her butt.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Just get in the car and drive. Or wait, are the Were guards driving separately or with us?"

"Separately. Let's go."

The Were guards fell in place behind Eric's car as they pulled out of the drive. Sookie noticed them from the rear view mirror. "So, even though nothing happened here or in New Orleans, you still want the extra guards?"

"I do. I won't let anything happen to you." He didn't tell her that the Berts hadn't been at the party and he suspected something amiss about it – he just didn't want her to worry needlessly. However, not telling her didn't mean he ignored it and as a result he'd added more guards: He would not leave her exposed. "Sookie, just relax. They will be patrolling your property, not sitting at the dinner table."

"Ok."

Sookie's knee bounced in excitement as they drove to Gran's for Christmas Eve dinner. Eric found a radio station playing Christmas carols, and braced himself for the singing. As she always did, Sookie belted out the songs in her own off key version and he smiled to himself, enjoying her very carefree and happy mood. When some ads played, he asked her about the change to their traditions. "So you and your Gran are really OK with opening presents and doing most of the Christmas celebration tonight?"

"Sure, I mean, it's not like we have little ones who are waiting for Santa. We'll still have a big meal in the mid afternoon tomorrow; then when you rise, we'll go home for our gift exchange. It's all good, great in fact."

They pulled into Gran's drive a few moments later and Gran ran onto the porch with her arms wide open. Sookie ran into her arms for a hug. The hug lasted a while as it included the usual rocking back and forth and a few sniffles from Sookie. Once she released Sookie, Gran reached for Eric. Though they had cleared the air at Thanksgiving, such welcoming from Adele had not yet occurred and he was surprised to be enveloped in a Gran hug – the same thing he had teased Pam about for weeks. She snickered from the porch and he ignored her. Pam had spent her day in the new underground safe room at Gran's, wanting to scout the area and meet up with the Were guards that started patrolling just before her daydeath in the early morning.

Adele broke their hug and Eric went to the back of the SUV to carry the gifts into the house. Pam came to help. He laughed and her apparent helpfulness: she really wasn't helpful; she was SNOOPING. "Give it up, Brat. You have to wait until after dinner for your present."

Pam gasped at feign indignation. "Eric, I'm just trying to help you and Sookie get settled."

Jason and Dawn arrived shortly after and everyone sat down for dinner. Once again, Jason practically ate his weight in the prime rib dinner Gran had prepared. At least this time, Eric noted, there was no mention of Uncle Bartlett. He had a full report on the man, and found nothing in the information that indicated the issue. He would ask at some point in the near future, but the possible truths ate at him. Adele interrupted his thoughts by asking about the symphony he and Sookie attended the night before. Sookie rolled her eyes. "Photographers, just like the ballet Gran. You mean Mrs. Fortenberry wasn't over here to gossip with you about the pictures of me in the paper?"

"Hoyt drove her to her sister's in Florida for Christmas; she won't be back until after the new year."

"Is there less hot air in Bon Temps while she is gone?"

"Sookie, you hush and finish your dinner so we can get to the presents." Gran scolded her.

After dinner, everyone settled in the living room for the gifts. Adele had several surprises. First, she handed Eric an awkwardly wrapped gift and when he opened it, he was shocked. Inside was a log cut to fireplace size with sprigs of fir and holly. Jason was confused and asked why his Gran had given Eric a piece of firewood. "It's a Yule log, Jason. The celebration of Yule predates our Christmas traditions." Adele explained. "Will you start the fire with it? I apologize that there are no runes, but I was hoping I found a tradition from your Solstice Celebration that fit?"

"You did Adele. We will need to save two pieces from this, one for your home and one for ours." He looked to Sookie as he spoke and she smiled. Gran had, of course, filled her in. He turned to Pam, Jason and Dawn. "The saved pieces are kept in the home during the coming year as protection; then they are used to start the fire next year." He took the log to the fireplace and started to light the fire.

Pam beamed. Her maker's joy was spilling through the bond. Godric HAD turned him into a pansy as he repeatedly said, but she couldn't be happier. As long as he still kicked ass as a Sheriff, and he did, they would all be fine. She was taken out of her thoughts by Adele nudging her with something. When she turned, several shirt size boxes were wrapped together and being handed to her. "Pam, did you hear me?"

She laughed, "No, I was lost in thought."

"These are for you."

Pam opened the first box to find beautiful silk shirts, but no labels? When she noticed Pam's confused face she explained. "I've noticed that you have your custom made suits and they fit you perfectly. I've also noticed when you are just hanging around the house or running simple errands your off the rack shirts are all a bit baggy in the middle. So I made you some to fit your exact size. I guess you wore too many corsets that shrank your waist when you were human. Your poor ribs are probably curved inward."

Pam stared at the woman until Eric finally snapped her out of it. "Pam, you're supposed to say thank you."

"I've never had such a thoughtful and personal gift. Thank you Gran."

"Open the other boxes."

Pam found the next boxes were silk tee shirts and simple cotton blouses, again, custom fit to her size. Pam actually walked to Gran and hugged her in thanks. Sookie decided to strike while Pam was already happy and handed her gift to her after she released Gran from the hug. Pam laughed when she saw the contents. "Sookie, you remembered our first outing? And oh, you got me white, cotton briefs, my favorite." She was distracted by the car in the driveway. "Who else is coming?"

Eric ordered, "Stay in your seat." Pam immediately knew it was her gift being delivered but she waited for her maker to return. When Eric came back, he gave away nothing, and told her to return to Sookie's gift. "It's underwear Eric."

"No, you need the gift from Sookie for your gift from me."

Pam started shredding the bags of underwear in search of Sookie's gift. She found it in the third pack. Sookie had given her a platinum custom engraved keychain. It said: 'BFF' on one side and 'Love, Crumbcake' on the other. The BFF side was accented with a pink sapphire. Pam started misting up – in red tears. Eric wasn't sure if it was the keychain or the fact that there was a BMW key hanging from it that caused the tears. He guessed the keychain since Pam never cried over the cars he bought her. The more he thought about it, he realized the tears were because Pam had never had a best friend. He saved her from crying in front of everyone and took her to see her car. "It's a BMW 745i, noted as being one of the best at keeping out road noise."

Pam wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you Eric."

Jason followed them out to check out the wheels. "What's the big deal about road noise?" Jason asked.

Eric explained. "Vampires hear much more than humans, and for Pam, she's always had even more sensitive hearing. Road noise in a car has always been a problem for her."

"Hmm, never thought about that. Considering I drive a diesel truck though, guess I never will. Say, whatcha doing with Pam's Audi?"

"It's for your Gran now. Her car is getting a bit worse for the wear."

"Well you're a'right. Thanks."

The rest of the group exchanged presents and shortly after, Jason and Dawn left, promising to be back for brunch the next day. Sookie left Pam and Eric to setup Gran's new TV and DVD player (from Eric) while she cleaned the kitchen with Gran. Even though the task seemed mundane, she enjoyed the time with her Gran, but it was over too soon and Gran was saying good night. Pam also left, claiming to have a date. When Sookie raised her brow, Pam explained she had met a nice Jewish girl who was looking for something to do on Christmas.

"Alone at last." Eric said as he pulled her to the couch.

"My Gran is just down the hall." She whispered.

"Maybe you should show me your childhood bedroom then."

"That's directly across the hall from Gran's room."

"Then you'll need to be quiet and we'll stay out here." He moved her onto his lap and started pulling her pony tail holder out so he could play with her hair.

"Just what do you think is going to happen, Mr. Northman?"

"Kissing, lots and lots of kissing." He cut off her comment with his mouth. Sookie had eaten some of the chocolate Yule Log for dessert and he enjoyed the remaining chocolate taste in her mouth. Sookie had a surprise planned for Eric's Christmas gift the next night, so she didn't want to go that far now. She used her Gran as an excuse. "Eric, we need to stop. Gran is down the hall."

He noticed she didn't say she didn't want to go further or that she wasn't ready, but he tried not to get too excited about what that meant. Instead, he just nodded his head and moved her to his side. He had loaded a movie and hit play. Sookie laughed when she saw Finding Nemo start on the TV. "I expected you to put in one of the classic movies that Pam bought Gran for Christmas. You told me a while ago that you didn't want to see this."

"I'm happy to watch anything as long as you are attached to my side."

"That's sweet."

"Shh, don't tell anyone."

OOOoooOOOooo

The next evening, they drove home at first dark so they could exchange their gifts to each other. Sookie, Eric thought, seemed even more excited than when she was driving to her Gran's. Her mood amplified his own excitement and they were both grinning by the time they were walking through the door. Eric enjoyed Sookie' feelings, and at home, he felt no need to hide his emotions. "Give me a short while to get all these new clothes hung up." She shook her head, looking at all the boxes of clothes. "I don't know what Pam was thinking when she bought me all these outfits as Christmas presents."

"I'll carry them to your room."

Once he placed all the clothes from Pam on her bed he said, "I have some prepping to do."

"Ok, I'll join you in the den in about 20?" He nodded and went off to take care of his tasks. When he entered his office from his secret door to his daychamber, he left it open for Sookie. He was sure of his decision now, and couldn't wait to give Sookie her gift.

They both arrived at the Christmas tree and laughed, neither had a wrapped gift in their hands. Sookie suggested he go first. When he rose and reached for her hand, she was a little surprised but she complied and he walked her to his study. She was shocked to see a doorway that when closed, was a section of bookcase. She knew immediately that this was the entrance to his private daychamber, and she looked at him confused. "I just need to add your thumbprint and then you can access my daychamber. Later, I'll show you the hidden access panel in your cottage, your access will work on any of the doors."

"Eric, this is too much. I shouldn't have this access."

"Yes you should, I trust you without question." He gestured for her to join him at the security panel. "Trust me there is something down there that you will really want to see."

The security panel set-up took a few minutes; then he guided her to the stairs. He informed her that he had lights installed for her, but he wanted to carry her down in the dark so he could surprise her with her gift. When she nodded, he reached down to pick her up and carry her bridal style down the stairs. He told her to close her eyes and he carried her to the library. Once he placed her in the center of the room and checked that her eyes were closed, he turned on the light and told her to open her eyes. Her beautiful blue eyes sparkled as she took in the room. The walls were floor to ceiling book cases, filled with the classics she and Eric discussed frequently. She noticed a ladder on wheels with a bow tied to it. "Eric?"

"It's been killing me to have this down here and not share it with you. I realized about 2 weeks ago that I was ready, but thought I would save it for your Christmas present. I added the ladder so you could get to the top shelves easily. Do you like it?"

"Eric, your trusting me to your resting place was present enough. This, this is over the top. I don't know where to start."

"You can access this library any time. I have a separate door on my bedroom, and even if I was out walking around, the light doesn't make it down the stairs to any rooms down here. You know, I rise early and don't die right at sunrise, I just can't go upstairs. This way, we can even spend more time together."

She smiled and asked him to show her around. His daychamber was actually the same size footprint as the entire house, so it was very large. Sookie thought her bathroom in the guestroom was nice, but OH MY GOD, Eric's down here was huge and extravagant. She turned to him and told him "I'm coming down here for my baths."

"I'd like that."

"Don't get excited, I can take a bath at noon, you'll never know." She gasped and put her hands over her mouth. "I'm sorry – I would never go sneaking around your resting place."

"Sookie, it's fine. I'm telling you, you can. If you want to get in bed with me and snuggle, that's fine too. I trust you." He wanted to add, I love you, but he refrained.

They ended the tour in his daychamber den. "Would you like your present now?"

"Yes." He understood the phrase on pins and needles for the first time now. Sookie had no gift in her hand, nor was there one upstairs, so he was sure it was something that was HER. "Where should we go?"

"The couch is fine." She moved him to sit on the couch and she straddled his legs. He could feel she was nervous and he wished they were bonded so he could send her his reassurance. He settled for rubbing her legs to calm her. After a few moments, she leaned into the side of his neck and whispered. "Are you hungry? Because I'm ready to start feeding you now."

Shocked. He was truly shocked. He thought she was maybe going to take her top off, or give him a hand job, but this, this was much more than either of those. He should have just bit, she was offering her neck, but in true pansy fashion he asked her. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, so bite me."

"Oh no. Both times I fed before haven't been the best situations. I want to enjoy this gift. Is this just for Christmas? I'm not trying to sound greedy, but…"

"Eric, stop. I mean for this to be on a regular basis, but please heal the bites."

"I will always heal your bites. Can we enjoy ourselves for a bit; then I'll bite?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "No sex Northman."

He replied, "Of course Lover." And before she could protest to her new name, he attacked her mouth. He pulled her closer so he could enjoy the feel of her breasts on his chest. He was being painfully patient with Sookie and had yet to feel them directly, but he knew they were magnificent. The smell of her arousal was evident and he wondered how long she was going to be able to hold out – but again, this was all at her pace. His own erection was near painful at this point, but he persisted. He always waited for Sookie to stop him; he never stopped on his own. Sookie was wearing a cashmere sweater that Pam gave her for Christmas and he ran his hands up the back over her sweater; then decided to see if she'd welcome some skin contact. Score! She made no comment as his hands slipped up under the back of the sweater and tonight, she even let his hands roam around to the front. Feeling especially bold, he used one hand to unhook her bra and moved the other to capture a breast in his hand. Sookie moaned at the contact, but she didn't stop him. "Sookie, please." He begged.

"What do you want Eric?" She asked in a husky voice.

He stared straight into her eyes. "To put my mouth on your breasts." He licked his lips; then added. "Please?" She breathed in at the request, but then nodded her head and reached for the hem of her sweater. Her bra slipped off quickly once the sweater was gone.

"Gods! You are more beautiful than I imagined." He said as his face moved in between her breasts and he inhaled.

He was just started to stroke the sides of each breast when Sookie said, "Not so fast." He looked up, a pained expression at being taken from his new toys. Sookie smirked, "you're still wearing your shirt." Now Eric smirked as he shifted a bit and removed his shirt; then went right back to his new favorite place in the world: between Sookie's breasts. He licked from one to the other; then took a nipple in his mouth. Sookie groaned. He continued to suckle her, switching sides every few moments; then licked a path to her neck. Wanting Sookie to enjoy the bite, he started rubbing her lower lips through her pants. They were thin enough that she was reacting, so he added pressure. When her breathing changed he bit and rubbed her as hard as he could through the material. It worked: While he enjoyed her unique flavor, she came crying his name. That was exactly what he wanted. Well, he wanted to bite her while he was inside of her, but soon, he hoped. Wanting to see her flushed with her orgasm, he leaned back and took in her appearance while he held her. Her face was flushed, her lips swollen in the shape of a blissful smile, and her breathing was still a bit erratic. In short, she was gorgeous and he smiled at her. "You are beautiful when you cum." Her flush grew even redder at his words, and she reached for her sweater. He wanted to protest but he knew she would need time to grow more comfortable with being naked.

"I can't believe that happened with my pants on." She reached out to grab his hands and lace their fingers. "Is it like that every time you feed? Well, I mean when you feed while trying to enjoy yourself?"

He considered his answer for a moment. "I have achieved sexual satisfaction while feeding, as have my donors." She looked down, but he would have none of that, so he used his hand to guide her head back up to meet his gaze. "Sookie, I wasn't finished. I have never felt so connected to anyone. That was one of the most erotic experiences of my life."

She was shocked. "But you didn't finish."

"Lover, erotic is arousing sexual desire," he pushed his hips up so she could feel his erection, "and as you can feel, it certainly did."

"I feel so selfish. Why do you call me Lover? We aren't lovers."

"Yet, Lover, yet. I want you to be selfish as we learn from each other. My time will come or cum I guess."

"I'm not sure about that nickname. I'll have to think about it and let you know."

He noticed she was shivering. "Would you like to get into the hot tub and warm up?

"I'll go get my suit on." She stood to go upstairs.

"Save time, just strip and we can go au naturale." He wiggled his eyebrows.

"YOU better come out in a bathing suit."

The warm water in the hot tub was heavenly and they sat together sharing stories of their lives. Eric fascinated Sookie with his travels around the globe. She was most curious about her best friend so he shared his perspective on their meeting. "Pam should tell you about her human life herself someday."

"Of course, she's shared bits of her human life with me, I was just curious about what drew you to her."

"Her plight."

"You knew of the arranged marriage before you turned her?"

"I did, I had been watching the family for a while. Her father was someone with whom I did business. Well, until I changed Pam and we left the area. He was a shrewd businessman, but I also saw him occasionally with his family and he was just cruel. Pam was busting with life – under the layers of clothes and oppression and I just knew she would thrive with me."

"And she did."

"She never looked back and I couldn't be prouder to call her my child." Sookie smiled at his words.

"She loves you too you know. You're her hero." HE smiled a lopsided grin. She leaned into his hold.

"I want to be your hero too."

"Let's just start with the boyfriend stuff."

OOOoooOOOooo

"OK, Lover you can open your eyes now."

She slapped his arm. "ERIC! Someone could hear you call me that. I haven't decided about that nickname yet." Her eyes roamed the room. "Wow, it's blue, and it seems smaller." She pointed to the couch. "Is this new?"

"Yes, and the room is smaller because I had the walls removed and added 5 inch soundproof batting, then rebuilt the walls. You know, most people wouldn't notice that change in size."

"Well, 5 inches on every wall – that's 10 inches from side to side, enough that the gap at the door, you know between the door frame and the wall here," she pointed, "is definitely smaller." She moved to sit on the couch and grab a pillow. "This couch is way more comfortable. Not that I'm complaining, but why'd you do all this work? I thought you hated Fangtasia and spending time here."

"I do hate it, but that's why I did all this. You complained that Fangtasia is too loud, so I soundproofed this room. I was hoping you'd come with me, at least some nights, and maybe do your homework here? I got the new couch because the old one was not as comfortable. You can even nap here if needed, and I can give you foot massages. Or, I can massage something else." He ended that comment with his trademark leer and licked his lips. She giggled and shook her head. What he didn't tell her was that the old couch was covered in fangbanger cum and he did NOT want her sitting or napping on that.

Sookie was speechless. He soundproofed his office thinking it was the music that was loud, not the voices in everyone's head. She wondered how she was going to deal with that. He wanted her to come with him - that made her happy and scared at the same time. More time at Fangtasia meant more vampires, more chances for unwanted exposure or for her to screw something up. She looked at his expectant face and she knew she needed to try. "I can't believe you did this for me. Thank you. I can certainly try to do homework and such while you're working."

"Are you ready to meet some more vampires?" They had talked about this visit. Fangtasia was holding a New Years Eve party and she wanted to attend. To do that, they decided to spend some time on club floor in the presence of other vampires. Eric would introduce her tonight as his companion to a small group of trusted vampires in his retinue. Having spent time the past two nights with Eric and Pam going over protocol she felt confident. As a companion, she had more latitude in her behavior, but still, she could not speak out to Eric or really any vampires. She was ready.

She tugged at her light pink dress, nervous that she would stand out in the sea of black.

Sensing her concern, Eric ran his hands up and down her arms. "Sookie, do you feel like you want to dress like the fangbangers?"

"Not at all. It's just I feel like I will stand out."

"You already stand out. You are sunshine in this dark, dreary place. I know I don't want you to dress like the fangbangers." He guided her to his desk chair where they discussed she would sit while the vampires were introduced.

She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment as if to steady herself then proclaimed, "I'm ready."

He called Pam, which was the signal, and Pam entered with several vampires behind her. Eric was standing tall behind Sookie, he was very excited for his closest vampires to meet Sookie, yet his face did not give this excitement away. He held his steeled expression as he introduced Sookie to Maxwell Lee, Indira, Longshadow, and Ivan Brognack. Thalia was also in position, but the women had met before. While he appeared expressionless, all the vampires noticed he was fingering a lock of Sookie's hair as he spoke.

"This is Sookie Stackhouse. She is my companion." Since he was scrutinizing their faces, he noticed Ivan's eyes widened in surprise, and Indira's face softened into a smile. "She will be spending time at Fangtasia, and she must be protected from other vampires."

"It's nice to meet all of you. Thalia, welcome back from your trip." Sookie said with a cordial nod of her head.

Each of the vampires confirmed their protective role and left his office. He turned to Sookie to guide her out to the floor. "Remember, I have a different persona out there."

"I remember."

He kissed her head. "Shall we?"

They walked to the floor and Sookie was bombarded with thoughts about Eric and sex. Many humans noticed he was walking with her and they spent time thinking about Sookie and how she didn't deserve Eric and that they wanted to get rid of her. By the time she made it to Eric's reserved booth, she was in desperate need of a drink. '_Damn, I spend too much time alone and I have no practice with my shields. Maybe it will be good to come here regularly so I can build up my resistance_.' Eric noticed that Sookie's mood had soured as soon as they hit the dance floor and she was actually starting to shake a bit. He tried telling her to relax and she just smiled her fake smile and sat in his booth. A waitress named Ginger came over and Sookie ordered a gin and tonic. Once she returned with the drink, Eric rose to go back to his office for an official meeting. Sookie was prepared for this and Eric told her he would be no longer than 30 minutes. She was planning to count the seconds since she was completely bored, but Pam saved her. A super fast song with a great beat was playing and Pam asked if she wanted to dance. Sookie was shocked and asked Pam if it was permitted.

"Sookie, you are my maker's companion. I am probably the ONLY person you can dance with here, well besides him that is. Come on, I've seen you dancing around the house – I know you can move." Sookie smiled brightly and moved from the booth. A crowd formed around them – they appeared to be dancing but Pam could see they were really observing Sookie closely. Pam was confused by the attention at first but then realized it was the curiosity of seeing Eric's human. That Sookie's sweet scent became even more pronounced as she was dancing likely also caused interest in many of the vampires who were growing closer. Suddenly Pam felt it was more than passing interest and she pulled Sookie from the dance floor to the back. She knew Eric was very angry at whatever was happening with his meeting, so she took Sookie to the employee room. "Sookie, the vampires were getting a little too interested in you; that's why I moved you away quickly. Can you wait here while I speak with Eric?"

"Yes, but why are they interested in me?"

"Your sweat from dancing amplified your scent. Since Eric hasn't notified the vampires in Area 5 of his claim on you, I couldn't take the risk. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Sookie started thumbing through some of the magazines on the table as a distraction while she waited. Ginger came in while on a break and they chatted for a bit. As the moments passed, she became more nervous.

Down the hall, Eric was surprised that Pam knocked to join his meeting. Two vampires had come to him to settle a dispute over a human woman. Both were shocked and became nervous when he asked to meet the woman. After questioning her and searching for glamour, he discovered that she wasn't with either of them willingly. He was just about to hand down punishment when Pam entered. "Pam, just in time. Please explain to Matthew and Jeanne the penalty for keeping an unwilling human."

"That's easy Eric. They get time with me." She turned to show her fangs and the wicked glint in her eyes. "Can I take them to the basement?"

"Yes."

"Limits?"

"Same as usual, they live and keep their limbs. I want them out by the New Year's party too."

"Pity, that only gives me two nights."

"You'll just need to be extra creative." He turned to face the two vampires. "You risk all vampires when you pull stunts like this. You will be on TrueBlood until February 1st; then only bagged blood until your fangs grow back."

"FANGS! You can't be serious."

He was over the desk and had Jeanne by the neck and pushed into the wall. "Oh I am. You don't fuck with the laws in my Area." He released him and turned to Pam. "Take them; then return since I guess you needed to see me."

"Yes, the employee room …."

"Got it."

He found Sookie chatting with Ginger when he entered the employee room. He could feel she was a bit nervous, but nothing overwhelming. That changed when she saw him. She looked at him and he was hit by a wave of concern. He knew he needed to get to the office before anything else happened. He couldn't afford to be overly affectionate at Fangtasia. She walked to him, obviously expecting some comfort, but he couldn't put on that show in front of Ginger. His face remained impassive, his arms stayed at his sides and he shook his head very slightly. Sookie got the message and stopped short with her gaze glued to the floor. Resisting the urge to envelope her in his arms, he told her to follow him and walked quickly to the office. There, he turned and hugged her. For Sookie, it was too late. "Let me go Eric!"

"Sookie, why are you upset?"

"I WAS upset at the extra vampire attention I was apparently receiving on the dance floor. But now I'm pissed that you were like stone in the employee room. I thought I could handle Sheriff Eric, but I guess I can't. Can I just wait for you in the employee room? Or can Pam take me home?"

He groaned. "Sookie, I tried to explain this before." He realized that this exact thing could have been prevented if they were bonded and he could send comfort and calm to Sookie. He was just unsure how she would take something so permanent.

"I know. I was prepared for that on the floor. But just now, I was worried about the vampires and when you came in I realized I had actually been more than worried but you, you weren't there for me."

"I'm here for your now. It killed me to ignore your needs, Sookie, but this is how it has to be."

"Your culture or politics – whatever you call it, suck."

He refrained as long as he could, she had been serious, not trying to make a joke or pun. He finally felt her amusement at what she had said, and they both burst out laughing. The laughter created the break in tension they both needed. "Sit with me for a minute?" He asked as he moved to the couch. She nodded and moved to sit a little apart from him, mostly because she wanted to turn and look him in the face. "Sookie. I knew what you were feeling, and that's why I moved as quickly as I could to the office, where I can provide comfort. If anyone knew how much I cared for you, it would be dangerous to both of us."

"I know that, it just didn't make it any easier back in the employee room."

"Would it help to have a word or signal so that you can know I want to be more, but can't at the moment?" It was the best he could think of putting in place before they bonded.

"We can try that." She thought for a moment. "Yeah, that'll help."

"Ok, I'll think about it while I am sitting on the throne. Will you be coming out?"

"Are they all going to want to bite me?"

"Yes, but you will sit next to me for a little while. I will call you mine."

"Mine or rather yours?"

"It's necessary given your scent and I'll say it quietly enough that the vampires can hear, but not humans." She nodded in understanding.

He reached for her hand and she looked puzzled. "I think we can get away with me holding your hand to guide you into your chair."

They walked to the floor and they stood in front of the chairs on the dais. Thalia had followed them and took a protective position behind Sookie pleasing him greatly. He noticed he had the attention of the vampires in the building and quietly announced "Mine" while holding her hand. He again scanned the room and noted the vampires nodding, the humans were oblivious.

With the announcement over, they sat in the chairs; Sookie refraining from rolling her eyes at the absurdity of being on display. She knew how much Eric hated ceremony, but Pam insisted that the vermin came to see him. As soon as he was seated, he pulled his Blackberry out and texted Sookie. He had purchased her a Blackberry for just this purpose.

She was surprised to feel her Blackberry vibrate against her arm as he handed it to her. She hadn't even seen him grab it from her purse in his office. The first message made her want to giggle, but she put on a bored face (years of reading all kinds of thoughts had taught her to steel her features) and texted with Eric.

E: I'm bored

S: You just sat down

E: Come sit on my lap

S: It's bad enough I'm sitting up here with you. Your fans would kill me as soon as I walk to the restroom.

E: I'll go with you. You need someone to hold your dress up while you take care of business

S: You're offering to go the women's room with me just so you can see my ass?

E: Sookie, are you saying if I go into the bathroom with you, you'll show me your ass?

S: How old are you? 15?

E: Maturity is overrated Lover

S: I'm going to call you cuddle bear out loud here if you don't stop calling me lover

E: :P

A few minutes passed before the next text as Eric was watching some sort of scuffle at the door, but Pam handled it. He'd ask later.

E: I've been thinking about our signal and I found the ASL website

S: ASL?

E: American Sign Language. They have videos of the signs, but it's too hard to view on the Blackberry

S: Well what word are you thinking?

He wanted to write Love, but he was refraining as he reminded himself. He went to his comfort zone

E: Fuck, Horney, Nipples something like that

S: Stop it cuddle bear!

When he didn't respond to cuddle bear, she looked up again to see Yvetta approaching Eric, obviously not pleased that Eric had been ignoring her while she was on her dance platform. Yes Sookie had watched him to see if he looked her way and when he didn't even notice the dancer, she did an internal squeal of happiness. Now, he couldn't help but see her since she moved directly in front of him. Sookie's ire rose at the slut's behavior. Eric had no interest in Yvetta but he was more than pleased to feel Sookie's jealousy. He was even more pleased when she stared coldly at the Estonian dancer and placed her hand possessively on his arm. It was a subtle move since the arms of their chairs butted up to each other. Yvetta's eyes grew angry and she started to scream at them. "This is the reason you have not been with me? This fat country hick?"

Wrong thing to say Yvetta. She was on her back with Eric's hand around her throat immediately. "You were nothing but a willing whore who offered herself as relief. You have no position in my life, except for working at Fangtasia. Nobody insults my Sookie, Yvetta, nobody. Do you understand?"

Yvetta was turning blue and even though Sookie hated the woman, she didn't want anyone hurt over an insult. Her thoughts and emotions were like a roller coaster: panic, fear, pride, concern, lust, over and over as she wondered if she should step in. She looked up and saw Pam staring at her, like she was waiting for Sookie to notice her. Seeing her friend was a relief, especially since Pam's quick shake of her head grounded Sookie. She knew she needed to keep quiet. She nodded in acknowledgement, and they both waited for Yvetta to answer Eric. What Pam and Eric didn't know was that Yvetta WAS scared, but that didn't override the fact that she was also pissed at Sookie – more pissed than she was scared, and that fact worried Sookie. Would the dancer do something to her? Is this finally enough reason to tell Eric about her disability? _'I'll think about that tomorrow_.' She decided and just as quickly as it started, Eric's lesson to Yvetta was over. Another dancer was brought over to help her to the employee room and Eric returned to his seat. He wanted to praise Sookie for her restraint. He had felt all her emotions and knew it was difficult to not step in. He also wanted to discuss why he felt lust, but he would wait until they were home.

Sookie's phone buzzed.

E: I'm sorry she insulted you

S: That's not your fault

E: I'm proud, you wanted to step in and you didn't

S: Pam helped

E: How

S: I'll tell you at home.

Instead of replying via text, he turned to Sookie, "You ready to go home?"

"That was fast."

As they packed up in the office, he acknowledged her headache. "Perhaps some time in the hot tub will help your headache."

"You can really feel that?"

"Yes and for me to feel it means that it must be pretty painful."

"That's an understatement tonight."

OOOoooOOOooo

Sookie felt herself being moved and groggily opened her eyes. Eric was bent over the foot of her bed removing her shoes. He noticed the movement up at the pillow and quickly pulled the blanket up, keeping her in her dress from their night out. "What are you doing?"

"Shh, go back to sleep."

"But the hot tub."

"Will still be there tomorrow night."

"How did I get here?"

He chuckled softly at her. "You're no good at 'Shhh, go back to sleep' are you?"

"I'm awake now, and a little hungry."

"Do you want me to bring you a yogurt or something?"

"Nah, I'll go to the kitchen. You probably have Norse work to do since you took off days for Christmas." She sat up stretching herself more awake.

"I don't, I closed the company for the week between Christmas and New Years."

"You did?"

"Yes, too many people need or want the week off and those that work are unable to do their jobs because too many needed co-workers are out."

"So they all go without pay or what? I'm just curious since I never had a job with vacation time or any benefits."

"My employees get the week off with pay. They don't need to cut into their vacation time. What do you mean you've never had vacation time or benefits?"

She got up and walked into the bathroom to remove her dress and put on a nightshirt as she continued the conversation. "Just what I said, I've never had a job with those things."

"Sam doesn't provide them?"

"No, you do - at Fangtasia I mean?"

"Of course. Everyone starts with 3 weeks vacation – at Norse, or Fangtasia."

"3 weeks to start – isn't that above the norm?"

"In the US, yes. Other countries have learned the value of a balanced work and personal life and the positive impact on productivity. American companies tend to think only of the short term, the dollar value of that extra vacation time or what they need to accomplish each quarter. I'd say I have a unique perspective on time since I'm a vampire, but as I said, other countries have learned to appreciate the balance."

"And yet, we aren't exactly excelling in all parts of the world economy."

"No, someday corporate America may finally wake up."

She came out of the bathroom and they headed downstairs stopping in the kitchen where Sookie quickly ate a yogurt and grabbed a drink. "Do you want to go back to bed?"

"No." She thought for a minute. "How bout we grab a blanket and sit outside for a while? It's not as fun as the hot tub, but we can enjoy the clear night."

He smiled and grabbed a blanket from the den. "Sure." He settled them onto the glider on the porch, Sookie curled into his side, his arm around her. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, I took some Excedrin while I was in the employee room at Fangtasia, now that we are out of the loud environment, the pills finally kicked in."

"Loud and stressful perhaps tonight." He looked at her carefully for a reaction. "I wanted to talk to you about Yvetta."

"I don't need to hear anything about Yvetta."

"Sookie, at the very least I want to acknowledge that I know you wanted to stop my actions with Yvetta and you did not. Thank you. For you to have stopped me would have weakened me in front of so many vampires."

"As I said, Pam helped. I was panicking – not wanting someone to be hurt just for insulting me. I looked around and found Pam's gaze and she, well for lack of a better word, grounded me and I knew to hold still."

Leaning into her ear, he whispered, "I also felt your lust Sookie."

As expected, she blushed but did respond. "Well what do you expect; you were going all caveman on someone for insulting me. It was frightening – yes, but a little hot." They both laughed at her comments.

When they were both quiet again, he offered more information about Yvetta. "Just to come clean, I never dated Yvetta, I only fucked her. She has no reason to think she has a claim."

"Eric, I know that from the other stuff that's been mentioned. I really don't want to talk about Yvetta." The glided silently for a moment. "You've mentioned homes around the world. Tell me about them, how did you managed to keep them all before the Great Reveal?"

Eric spoke to Sookie about his homes in Louisiana, New York, London and Sweden. He saved what he thought she would consider the best for last telling her about a home on a private island in the Caribbean. He knew her response before he finished describing it.

"That one I want to see first."

He laughed. "I knew you would my little sunbird. It has minimal modern conveniences, so I'll have to have work done before we go."

"I don't need much, but I bet it doesn't have a toilet, and that would be a requirement for me."

"That would be at the top of my list of things to add then. I'll arrange for the work to be done quickly."

"Why would you have a home in such a sunny location?"

"It's really a safe house more than anything, though I do enjoy swimming in the moonlight."

"Oooh, that'll be fun!"

They continued rocking on the glider under the stars until Sookie fell asleep again. He carried her upstairs and tucked her in, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight Min älskade."


	21. Nurse Northman

**SURPRISE - one last one before I fly back to reality tomorrow. **

**I know you guys all want the reveal - but sorry, Fangtasia is apparently full of germy humans...**

**Enjoy!**

**mags**

Chapter 20 – Nurse Northman

December 29, 2003

Sookie moved to get out of the bed and her head was swimming. She persisted since she needed to use the bathroom, but when she tried to stand, she fell back onto the bed. She had no idea what was wrong, but she knew she needed the bathroom. "Potts!"

She waited hoping she was in the house. Nothing. "POTTS!" She realized that shouting hurt, badly. She gave up and crawled to the bathroom, took care of business, with difficulty and crawled back to bed. A few hours later, she woke to Potts' knocking on the door. "Come in." She said weakly.

"Sookie. I'm just checking on….Oh my god. What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I feel like I was hit by a truck."

"Can I get you anything?"

"Ginger ale? Water?"

"Coming right up." By the time she got back up to the bedroom, Sookie was asleep again. She left the beverages on her nightstand, and left.

When Eric left his daychamber looking for Sookie, he found a very concerned Potts in the kitchen. "What's wrong?"

"She never left the room all day. She's sick. I don't think she had anything to drink all day."

"Is she in danger?"

Before Potts could answer, his phone rang: it was Ginger. "Master, apparently the staff that called out sick last night were contagious and now all the human staff at Fangtasia is sick. I'm calling from home, and just about everyone else has called out sick tonight."

"I'll have Pam go over and post a closed sign. What's wrong with everyone?"

"Some are saying flu, everyone has the same symptoms, but they vary in severity."

"What are the symptoms?"

"Fever, aches, vomiting, dizziness."

"Very well, call me with updates." With that, he ended the call.

He reported the information to Potts and added that Sookie was likely contagious. "I know the daybed is small out there, but you should to move to her cottage."

"Who is going to care for Sookie?"

"I can't get sick, I'll stay with her."

"But at dawn."

"We will be fine. Go, so I don't have two of you sick at once."

Potts reluctantly agreed and went up to pack a bag. "There is some food in the kitchen, but Bobby will need to shop. I'll make a list and email it to him. I'll have him shop tonight so he can drop it off while you're here. I'll take Tina with me so you don't have to worry about her."

"Thank you."

After calling Pam about Fangtasia, he ran upstairs to check on Sookie and found she was trying to get up. "Sookie, let me help you."

"I don't know what my problem is. I can't wake up, I'm dizzy."

"You caught something at Fangtasia. I just got a call, all the human staff is sick."

"What are you going to do? Do you have any vampire staff that can fill it?"

"I'm going to stay home and take care of you. Pam is going to close Fangtasia until further notice."

"Oh, OK. Can you help me into the bathroom?"

"Are you comfortable with that?"

"I had to crawl in earlier today; I'm beyond being embarrassed at this point."

Eric hated that she was sick, but he couldn't help be thrilled that she needed him. He vowed to be the best nurse he could be until she was well. "You've got a nightshirt on, maybe you can just take your panties off and it will make it easier once we are in there."

"Ok." He turned while she took care of that and told him she was ready. He carried and placed her in position then left her. Sookie was grateful he left while she took care of her human needs and that he had the idea to help make it easier. When she was done, she said she was ready and when he came into the bathroom she asked him to help her stand at the sink so she could wash and brush her teeth. "Take me back to bed, I need to lie down."

"Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"No. Can you put in a movie?"

"Sure, what do you want; I'll get some from downstairs."

"Just get a selection."

He was back quickly and started a movie. When she noticed he was just standing there she asked, "You can't get sick right?"

"No."

"So, do you need to do something? I kinda thought you were going to stay with me. Are you going to get in bed with me?"

He smiled. "I've waited a long time for you to ask that, I just never envisioned it would be under these circumstances." He smiled at her and climbed into bed. When she fell asleep again about 20 minutes later he grew concerned. '_I don't know anything about human illnesses. What if this is serious? She hasn't eaten since a yogurt at about 2AM. I'm pretty sure it's even worse that she hasn't had any liquids. I'm calling Gran_.'

"Hello."

"Adele, it's Eric."

"Oh, hello Eric, how are you? How is Sookie?"

"Sookie is why I am calling you, she is very sick." He proceeded to relay what symptoms he knew about, the situation at Fangtasia and his concerns.

"Eric, rest is fine, don't worry that she is sleeping too much. When she does wake up again, get her to drink something. That is very important. When she feels up to it, give her the BRAT diet: Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast, that's best for an upset stomach. Oh and sports drinks, chicken noodle soup and yogurt when she can tolerate them, that is."

"Anything else?"

"Ibuprofen for the fever. How high is her temperature?"

"I don't know."

"You'll need to get Bobby on some errands then. Tell him to get a digital thermometer, they're easier to read. Have him get liquid Ibuprofen and pills. I'll leave you to calling Bobby. Can you call me and tell me how she's doing?'

"Yes, thank you Adele." He hung up and dialed Bobby.

"Bobby."

"Yes Master, Potts already called me."

"Good, I just want to make sure you're getting Bananas, rice, applesauce, toast, that chicken noodle soup from the gourmet food store you've gotten before, sports drinks yogurts and a digital thermometer."

"I only had some of those items on my list. I've already left the store. I'll get the rest tomorrow."

"YOU WILL GO BACK AND GET EVERYTHING NOW!"

"Master, forgive me, but it's just a cold. I'm afraid she's making you concerned when it isn't warranted. I'm just trying to help you understand."

He was so mad now he grimaced out the next sentences. "Let me help you understand. If you don't have those items here tonight, I will personally see to your torture in the basement of Fangtasia. You've purchased some of the supplies and tools for that room, haven't you? Can you imagine what I can do with all those?"

"Ye … Yes Master. Right away Master."

Shortly after Bobby dropped off his deliveries, Sookie started to stir. And so the nursing started. For the next few hours, Eric stayed with Sookie, feeding her sips of liquid and Ibuprofen when she did wake, holding her hair and cleaning up her vomit. He couldn't understand how someone who had eaten nothing could still vomit that much. He called Adele at about 10PM to report Sookie's temperature was 104 and she suggested cooling her down.

"How?"

"A tepid bath would work, cool compresses, anything slightly cooler than she is – but not ice or alcohol. You want to do it gradually and without alcohol poisoning. Have Bobby get one of those thermometers for the bathtub, they sell them with baby goods. Has she taken any liquid?"

"Just sips." He paused before he continued. "You know Adele, vampires have no body temperature."

"Are you asking permission to snuggle with my baby girl?" She chuckled.

"No, well yes, I mean I was asking if you thought it would help."

"Maybe combined with some cold compresses. She really only took a few sips?"

"Yes, that's the most I could get in her, then she would put her head back on the pillow and fall asleep again."

Adele remained silent for a few minutes, long enough for Eric to worry. "Adele, your silence is scaring me."

"It must be one hell of a bug; Sookie really never gets sick at all."

"I'm calling the doctor."

"Call me back, please."

He called Ludwig. "Northman, is she really sick or are you just worried that she cried today?"

He went on to describe Sookie's symptoms then explained what he'd been doing so far. "Her Gran was very concerned, I'm thinking of giving her blood."

"NO don't do that! Your blood can cause cells to grow – it could just expand the virus."

"I didn't think of that."

"What you've been doing is the right stuff, except now adding something to get the temperature down. You could put her in a tepid bath if the compresses don't work – not cold, you could put her into shock."

"What else?"

"What are you going to do during the day?

"She will stay in my daychamber with me."

"I take it I can't convince you to take her to the hospital?"

"Don't suggest that again. I will care for her myself. Before dawn, I will bring her to my chamber; I can force myself to stay awake for a while, and can rise as early as about 3:30 - 4. Should I try to keep her awake as dawn approaches so she sleeps most of that time?"

She shook his head at his stubbornness. "That could work. Will you wake if she is in bad pain or something? How strong is your bond?"

"She's woken me from crying jags."

"Ok, she could probably rouse you then if she's feeling worse. Call me if the fever goes any higher, or just take her to the hospital. Make sure she has a full dose of Ibuprofen before you die, then call me when you rise."

"Thank you Ludwig."

Ludwig ended the call and laughed out loud. Sure, she was concerned about Sookie, but she would see her tomorrow night if she got worse. She laughed because she could hear the absolute panic in Eric's voice. She laughed because he called Sookie's Gran for help, he was cleaning up after her, and he said thank you. She laughed because badass Eric Northman was obviously in love.

After he called Bobby for the bath thermometer, Eric updated Sookie's Gran then returned to Sookie with some washcloths and a bowl for water. He worked to get her temperature down with cold compresses and holding her close. Sookie mumbled in her fevered haze and what he heard concerned him. Crying and begging to this Uncle Bartlett and her Mama. She repeated phrases like 'don't Uncle Bartlett' and 'Mama, I promise to be good, I won't say things anymore'. He was sure these were memories, not something she was making up from her fever and he grew angry as his thoughts on the causes ran rampant. Still, he didn't try to pry anything from her as she was talking. Instead he shushed her and calmed her through the episodes, while he changed out the wash cloths continually for cooler ones.

After two hours her temperature was below 100 and he finally relaxed a little. He wondered if vampires could get headaches from stress. His phone rang: Pam.

"What have you been doing? I didn't even dare call while you were raging with anger, worry and panic. This is the first time in hours that you've calmed."

"Sookie has been very ill."

Ignoring the opportunity to tease her maker with his emotions, Pam panicked all on her own. "You didn't tell me she was sick when you called earlier! Does she have the same thing as the rest of the Fangtasia staff?"

"Yes."

"Do you need help?"

"I think things are calmer now, her temperature finally dropped. I have to go; I need to get my resting area prepared."

"She…she's spending the day with you? Is that safe?"

"She can't hurt me Pam; she wouldn't even if she could."

"Not safe for you, I mean her. I know she would never hurt you."

"I won't leave her to another's care. I spoke to Ludwig, I have a plan."

"Very well, call me before you die."

He quickly packed food and drinks from the kitchen, as well as the toaster for his chamber. To ensure her comfort, he prepped a movie in his DVD player, added the remote and a few books on her nightstand (noting that he called it hers) placed a lined trashcan on the floor right next to the bed (since he was not sure how sick she would be during the day) and filled his small refrigerator with Sookie food. He continued to run back and forth between his chamber and Sookie's room to ensure she was ok.

He watched her sleep for a while longer then decided to move her to his chamber. She woke as he was placing her in his bed.

Sookie opened her eyes and saw Eric staring down at her. "How are you?" He asked.

"Thirsty."

A glass with a straw was presented to her lips immediately and he was pleased when she took more than a few sips. "Do you want something to eat?" She shook her head. "Another movie?"

"I don't even remember what we were watching before."

"Finding Nemo, and you fell asleep before we even met Dory."

"What I really want is a shower."

"You can't stand yet. I can help you get into a bath if you want, but I won't leave you alone for now."

She thought about it for a moment. "I think it will make me feel better, I'll just be embarrassed tomorrow."

"A bath will work well; I want you to stay up from now until I die, then you will hopefully be asleep until I rise." He moved to fill his tub.

"Don't say that you die, please. And I'm staying HERE while you rest?"

"Yes, I will resist the call to REST (he said with emphasis at her request) for as long as possible and can rise as early as 3:30 in the winter." He thought of something. "Do you want me to grab a swimsuit? You can wear that in the bath."

"You'd need to help me put it on so my quest for modesty would be over then anyway."

"The tub is ready."

"Let's get this over with."

He used a clip to put up her hair while chuckling. "You know, I've dreamed of you in my tub, and you saying 'let's get this over with' was never part of the dream."

"I'm sorry I'm so much trouble."

"You're not trouble. I'm not happy you are sick, but I AM happy to show you I can be a worthy mate."

She smiled shyly as he removed her nightshirt and walked her to the bathroom. There was nothing sexual about it, he made no comments or faces and Sookie was grateful. When he lowered her into the tub, she squealed since it felt cold. "It took a while for me to get your temperature down, I'm not taking any chances now; it's not really cold, just a bit warmer than tepid."

"Even my skin hurts," Sookie commented as she ran the washcloth over herself. "I've never felt this sick before."

"Your Gran said the same thing."

She spent a few minutes washing. "I'm ready to get out."

He returned from the bedroom where he had spread a large bath towel out for her. As soon as he lifted her from the tub, she started to shiver so he dried her at vampire speed. A clean nightgown was on and she was tucked under the blankets before she knew it. He was situating himself on his side of the bed when she asked him about the dawn. "Are you really going to fight the dawn?"

"I can normally stay up for about another hour after sunrise anyway; it's after that hour that I'll need to fight it as long as I can."

"Eric, I have another question."

"Yes."

"Why do you have a rubber ducky in your tub?"

"It's a thermometer for the water. I had Bobby get it so I could be sure I was making a tepid bath."

"Good, cause I was really worried there for a minute." He laughed and snuggled in with her under the covers.

Eric spent his last hours before dawn catering to Sookie's needs. They watched some television, he convinced her to drink more sports drink, and he helped her with her human needs one last time before he would start weakening from his need to rest. By this time, Sookie could also barely keep her eyes open, so as soon as he made his promised calls to Ludwig and Pam's voicemail, they both succumbed.

OOOoooOOOooo

Sookie woke in the late afternoon feeling a bit better, but certainly not well. As it was late afternoon, she decided to stay in bed waiting for Eric to rise. The book she removed from the nightstand didn't hold her interest so she returned it and grabbed her phone. Having heard Eric call Gran the night before, she called her with an update. At the time Eric called Gran she was kind of out of it, so she didn't hear the conversations fully. She was shocked when Gran explained how concerned Eric was and that he had called her three times! Not just the one she heard earliest in the evening. Gran also explained that Eric called Dr. Ludwig as well. "You should expect a visit from Ludwig just after dark Sookie. She actually called me today to get some history from me and mentioned she would be stopping by."

"Ok Gran, I'm still pretty tired so I'm going to hang up now. One of us will call you after the doctor leaves."

After hanging up, she spent some time thinking about the past 24 hours. She didn't remember much but what she did recall was Eric's concern for her. Every time she needed anything, he was right there. He even held her hair while she repeatedly lost the contents of her stomach, which must have been difficult for him considering the acute sense of smell vampires had. Nobody but Gran had ever been so caring and she found her heart warming even more towards the vampire resting next to her. He was on his back, Sookie having fallen asleep while lying with her head on his chest. He'd wanted to spoon but was concerned she would be too weak to move from his arms if she needed to. She moved back into position after replacing the phone onto the nightstand and started stroking through his long mane.

Eric rose with Sookie still on his chest and her hand in his hair. He couldn't figure out if she had gotten up or not. Waking her was a necessity, since he needed to check her temperature and hopefully get some food in her. He reached his hand to her back and softly stroked her. "Sookie, you need to get up." He repeated his words a few times until she finally opened her eyes and gave him a small smile. "Did you wake up at all today?"

"Only for about 20 minutes a short while ago. I called Gran, then resettled on top of you and fell asleep again."

"Well, I need to take your temperature then we need to get some food in you."

"Nurse Northman is in da house."

He smiled wide that she was feeling better. "Nurse Northman will get you if you don't follow instructions you know."

After the sun had set, they were upstairs in the den, Sookie having eaten some toast and applesauce and Dr. Ludwig was just arriving.

"Well little girl, you gave your vampire quite a scare last night."

"I don't remember much."

"I would guess not." She turned to Eric. "Did she have a fever when you rose tonight?"

"Not as high, only 101."

"Ok, that's better. You need to keep the same protocols in place until we see it staying lower. I don't want to see it going over 103 for an extended period again. I'm going to take some blood to see if I can match this flu strain. Your Gran told me you don't really get sick, so I want to see what was strong enough to knock you down."

"Ok. Am I still contagious? Potts is staying in the cottage."

"Best to give it one more day."

Ludwig finished her examination quickly and Sookie was asleep before she even left the house.

Sookie woke again a few hours later, she looked up and caught Eric's gaze. "Hey." She stretched a bit. "What time is it?"

"Almost 10PM." Unconsciously, he scooted closer, picked up her feet and started rubbing. "How about some scrambled eggs?"

Sookie stared at him for a while before she asked about his comment. "Do you even know what a scrambled egg is?"

"Ludwig thought they might be good if you feel like eating, so I called Gran and she talked me through it."

"YOU made eggs?"

"You wound me Sookie." He tried to keep a hurt look on his face until he broke a smile. "I went through a dozen eggs trying. Bobby had to run out for more."

The whole conversation gave her pause. "Where is the vampire that tried to take my scalp off when I talked about Lala?"

Stunned, Eric was stunned that she mentioned the incident, something he wished they could put behind them, but that she had mentioned it in jest. Still, he felt he needed to apologize. "Sookie, I know I've said it before, but I'm sorry. I was upset.."

"Eric, I didn't bring that up for an apology. I was just noting that to me, you are completely different." She smiled and looked up. "And I mean that is a good way. I like this Eric."

"So, do you want to try my eggs?"

"Can't wait."

While she ate and praised his cooking, Eric explained that he had done some internet searches for a few signs.

"Is there where I brace myself, are you going to teach me how to sign nipples?"

"I CAN teach you that, but I found a sign that I think will work. It's not perfect, but I needed to find a sign that we could both do subtly and it would have some meaning for us."

"Ok, whatcha come up with?"

"Wish. Just the one word, wish, meaning you and I wish we weren't in front of vampires or in some other situation where I have to be Sheriff Eric."

"Ok, show it." He took his right hand and placed it just above his heart, fingers slightly bent into his chest. He moved it down about 5 inches, ending over his stomach. She tried it. "That's easy enough to do. I hope I don't flake out on you the next time something like this happens."

"We could do something else about this too." In for a penny, he thought.

"Like move to a remote island without vampire politics?"

"Ok, you call Adele, I'll pack." When she just stared at him, he proceeded as planned. "Yeah, I thought so." She stuck her tongue out and he returned the sentiment. "Back to the serious discussion. We could Blood Bond."

"What does that mean, how do you do that?"

"It means several things, mostly; you would be mine, permanently."

"Like marriage?"

"Not exactly, human marriage is insignificant in comparison. A human marriage can be ended. A bond cannot."

"How does it help?"

"A blood bond is where I can send you emotions; you remember we talked about that?"

"Oh yeah." She was quiet for a moment and he gave her time to think. "Eric, you would choose to blood bond with me, for, well forever?"

"Yes Sookie."

"I'm not ready for something like that, I'm not even sure I'm ready to hear the reasons why you would willingly do that. Can I use my flu as a pass to continue this some other time?"

"Yes. Just know there is another option and we can discuss it when you are ready. I'll only bring it back up again if I feel you are not dealing well with some situations or I feel it's needed for safety."

They settled into the couch together, Eric unconsciously rubbing Sookie's legs as they read for an hour or so. When Sookie finished a chapter, she stood and announced that she wanted a shower.

"Ok, I'll help you get set up, but will just stay in your bedroom for safety."

"That'll work, I'm feeling strong enough to take care of myself."

"You ARE much better."

"You were really worried, weren't you?"

He hadn't expected that question at all, but he was going to answer honestly. "Yes Sookie, I wasn't just worried, I was scared for you."

"Thank you, not just for worrying, but for being such a good nurse."

"You're welcome, but I'm not done. You're staying one more day in my chamber with me."

"ERIC, I feel much better!"

"Yes, and that's precisely when you might push it and get worse again. Ludwig warned me that happens. This way you will be limited to how much you can do. You need to take it easy …. just rest until you are better."

Her mouth opened a closed a few times but nothing came out. She finally turned and said, "I'm ready for my shower, let's go."

OOOoooOOOooo

The shower was heavenly. Sookie got to shampoo her hair while in warm, not tepid water, and she luxuriated in it, even though she ended it quickly. She'd started to get dizzy from standing so long. When she stepped out of her bathroom, she could hear Eric on the phone with Pam; the topic was Fangtasia. Apparently, many of the staff were sure they could work on the 31st for the big New Year's Eve party. The discussion was them wondering if they could still hold the party while missing 1/3 of the waitresses and a bartender. Longshadow would be swamped.

"I can tend bar." Sookie offered. "I was learning at Merlotte's."

"No." Eric's reply was swift and meant to close the subject. Yet, it didn't close the subject since Sookie continued.

"Eric, you need to hold this party, the staff are likely hoping for good tips, your clientele are looking forward to it."

"We are holding the party, but you are not even going since you've been sick."

"Your staff at Fangtasia have also been sick, they're going."

"Yes, but I don't give a fuck about their health. The answer is NO."

"You can't decide when I feel well enough to do something Eric. Are you going to lock me in your chamber tomorrow?"

"Don't give me any ideas."

She gasped and pushed his chest. "Get out of my bedroom."

"Pam, I'll call you back." He could hear Pam snickering as while he ended the call.

"You aren't well enough to be left alone anywhere in the house right now."

"I can call you from here if I need you."

"NO."

"God dammit Eric. Stop being a high handed prick." She started to head out the door, stomping as much as she could.

_'I haven't seen this Sookie in a while. I like a bit of feistiness, but she's just being unreasonable_.' He closed his eyes to gather himself, shaking his head at her stubbornness. Still, he chased after his 'girlfriend' in his own house. "Sookie, stop." He was too late. He heard the tumble and flew down the stairs, but she had already fallen and was crying. "What did you hurt?" He asked as he reached for her.

She batted his hands away. "Leave me alone."

"No. How far did you fall?" She turned her head to ignore him, but continued crying. "Sookie, we can talk about Fangtasia later, but I really need to know if you're OK right now."

"I'm gonna hurt tomorrow, but I'm fine." She added under her breath, "embarrassed as hell though."

Once he had her on the couch, he asked what happened. She sheepishly explained that she got dizzy from standing too long and she lost her balance on the stairs. He wanted to gloat that he was right about her not being well enough, but he refrained. Instead she shocked him and said, "You were right, I probably won't be well enough to spend that many hours at Fangtasia even as a guest, and certainly not as a bartender." She clung to him. "But at home, can we talk it through at least instead of you just dictating?"

"I'll try, but even at home, some things are going to be non negotiable."

"Then tell me that and then we can talk out the others."

"This is what couples do, right? They talk things through?"

"Yes." She smiled at him then rubbed her cheek against his. "This is what couples do."

"Have you really never dated, been part of a couple?"

"I dated a boy in high school. We only went out for a few weeks. Nothing physical occurred, well a few kisses, that's all."

"You were saving yourself for me."

"Don't get all cocky and ruin the moment."

"Too late, I'm definitely all cocky." He rubbed against her to be sure she knew he was speaking the truth.

"Too bad for you. My nurse has ordered me to take it easy and rest."

"You lie back, I'll take care of everything, it'll be easy and you can rest."

"I'm going to watch a movie. You, you're just bad."

"You have no idea."


	22. Confessions

**Hi all:**

**I haven't given the disclaimer in a while - so just so I don't get sued, I don't own any of these characters. Pity...**

**The chapter title is probably a big clue, something you've been waiting for based on the reviews. Hope I have done the reveal justice.**

**I had several days without my muse - I think he/she was confused about what country I was in, but the muse is back, and I've been able to move forward with writing. I am about half way through chapter 36 as of today. Still have several main plot points left, so I have no prediction on length. Maybe someday we'll get to the end...**

**~mags**

Chapter 21 - Confessions

January 21, 2004

"I don't need my own laptop; I can just keep using yours during the day."

"Sookie, we've been sharing this laptop at Fangtasia since your classes started. You need to focus on school, your classes are online so you need a laptop and since I also work on my laptop, we just can't keep sharing."

"Stop making sense!"

He smirked knowing he'd just won and he started opening the packaging around the new laptop, "Let's get it set up for the network at home and Fangtasia."

"Fine. You do that while I get a shower. I spent the day potting plants and I'm coated in dirt."

"I'd rather help you in the shower."

"I'm sure you would, but you just pointed out how important it was for me to have a PC, and that PC needs to connect to the network. Get busy cuddle bear."

"Ok, you got me honey bunny." They both burst out laughing. When Eric calmed down he pouted a bit while he asked. "Can I have a kiss for all my hard work?"

"Sure." She smiled and walked over and pointed to the laptop he was booting up. "Just as soon as you're all done."

She turned to go to the shower and he swatted her behind. "Temptress."

She walked away and he heard her shower starting. He thought about the past few weeks while configuring the PC. Sookie did need a few days of rest to recover from the flu, and it was confirmed as a newer strain from Ludwig's blood tests. Sookie was hit harder by the bug because she never received a flu shot or ever had any form of flu to build up resistance. That was Ludwig's theory at least.

Illness aside, or perhaps because of the illness, they were even closer emotionally. He was still waiting for the physical side to catch up, but for now, the playfulness and affection between them was more satisfying than even some of his most carnal orgies. Yeah, he was a pansy and seriously considered sending dozens of the plants to Godric's house so he could look at them and be reminded of what he'd done to his son. Not that he even cared anymore; as a result of Godric's ultimatum, he got several things he never even knew he wanted: joy, purpose, laughter, love. In a nutshell, he got Sookie.

Sookie's introduction to the Area 5 vampires was also going well. He recalled how she'd won over her chosen protectors immediately; easily striking up friendly conversation and even having some of them share bits and pieces of their normally private life. Slowly, her frequent visits to Fangtasia gave her the opportunity to meet many vampires from the area and she made friends with every vampire that she spoke with. He frequently received positive comments about Sookie's attitudes; that she was neither enthralled nor disgusted because they were vampire; she simply just took each vampire individually and found common ground. So, although she already had vampire 'friends' in his Area, once she had identified some V-dealers she overheard the restroom and was able to notify Pam; she also had earned respect from those same area vampires as well.

He laughed to himself recalling that he and Sookie spent time creating their own sign language as a precaution for communicating while around other vampires. In addition to their own 'wish' he wanted the ability to communicate silently so they would not raise suspicion to their true relationship. They had selected a few single words that they felt could be useful in vampire situations: stay, depart, caution, quiet, scared, later and obey (that one infuriated his spitfire, but she learned it). For the Area 5 vampires, they never needed it. Sookie had them wrapped around her finger.

Her PC was finished and packed in the tote bag Pam had chosen for Sookie, so he went off to be his usual bold self. She found him relaxed in her bed, breathing in the scent of her pillows and she rolled her eyes. "Did you get your work done on my PC?" He nodded yes enthusiastically. "Did you come for your payment?" More nodding. "Did you think I was going to deliver your kiss while wearing only a towel?"

He grinned. "You can take the towel off if you want." He said as he reached for her. She squealed as she was suddenly under him on her bed. "I'll play within your boundaries, Sookie. The towel will go no lower than," He inched it down to her waist, exposing her breasts "here."

"You got that right Northman."

He spoke in a muffled voice since he face was pressed between her breasts. "Ooh, I'm not cuddle bear? Am I in trouble? Are you going to punish me?"

"Just collect your kiss."

OOOoooOOOooo

Two hours later, Eric was pulling into his Fangtasia parking spot and they were greeted by Pam. "Took you long enough."

"Sookie insisted on separate showers. It's her fault."

"You say that like we're already taking our showers together."

"You say that like it's only a matter of time."

"Go sit on your throne. I have schoolwork."

"You're stuck with me for a bit, I have sheriff work to do." She looked at him questioningly. "I have to get it done early since I won't be here Thursday through Saturday for Jason's wedding."

"Is that something I can help with?"

"You would help me with this?" His voice raised in surprise as he asked the question.

"You're kidding right; I've been asking you for ways I can contribute for a while now. Show me what needs to be done."

He pulled a chair behind his desk and proceeded to show her one of the reports he needed to file to human authorities and the location of the data needed to build them. Impressed that she caught on quickly, he showed her more. After an hour, she knew enough that he could go on with some other business while she worked. Usually, she was able to walk out of the office, but tonight Eric had some 'guest' planned and he asked her to stay in the office. The reports were relatively simple, just tedious and she completed them as much as she could until she ran into some questions. Forgetting she needed to stay in the office, she went looking for Eric. She didn't spot him on the floor but she did run into Yvetta in the employee room.

Yvetta cackled evilly at Sookie. "Listen trailer trash Barbie, he's not here right now; I saw him head downstairs with a dark beauty. You do know what he's got down there, right? I know what's down there, been down there many times myself, I guess you're too pure for any of that. No wonder he needs to seek relief from other sources." She continued to cackle as she headed to her 'pole' and proceeded to work.

'_And she called me trash_?' Still, she couldn't say the words didn't bother her and she wanted to know why Eric would take a woman downstairs. A search for Pam was unsuccessful, so she decided to head down. She only got halfway down the stairs when she saw him: shirtless and bloody from dispensing some kind of punishment to a man in chains – the dark beauty was a vampire and he was in sheriff mode. What she saw horrified and shocked her. The rules and customs of the vampire world had been explained to her many times, but witnessing it was more than she could stand and she turned and ran. She was in full panic mode when she got back to his office and she needed to escape. Grabbing her purse and coat, she headed out the door.

Downstairs, Eric was furious. He was angry that he'd never warned her to stay out of the basement. He cursed himself for not feeling Sookie approach. He also was upset at Sookie for leaving the office alone since they had discussed that as well. Now that he could feel her getting a bit further away, his upset at her was replaced by concern. He could feel her disgust at what she had seen, but he could only deal with that once he got her back, so he quickly ran up the stairs and out the door.

Sookie had only made it two blocks before she heard the voices. "Grab her; she's the one with the big blond." She was grabbed roughly and yanked into an alley. She fought them while she was dragged further away from the street but it did no good. A large unmarked van with only back and front windows was parked at the end of the alley and the door was open to reveal a mattress and ropes. Her terror rose and she doubled her efforts, even managing to kick one of them hard enough to let go of her. When he grabbed her ankle and twisted, she could his thoughts clearly. She was only a means to get to Eric. They wanted him and thought if they could get him to come to her, he could be captured. They were on their way to Fangtasia and lucked out when she ran towards them. The van was full of silver nets and chain they could use to render Eric helpless while they drained him. THAT wasn't going to happen. She started to examine the area around her for anything she could use. Three men and her? She needed some kind of weapon. She was pushed to the mattress and one of the men spoke to her. "We need to keep you 'missing' for about an hour then call and say we found you. That gives us plenty of time to get acquainted." He smiled and touched her face. She heard more thoughts: they were working for someone in the area and were given direction on what vamps to get and suggestions on how to get them. She was disgusted by some of the thoughts going through her head. His hands had moved further down her body and she thought she was going to vomit.

"GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF HER!"

She was immediately relieved. Eric had arrived! Then she remembered the threat and yelled to him. "ERIC! Drainers! It's a trap! They have silver."

Before she even finished the sentence, the man on top of her was already decapitated and Sookie saw her weapon, the knife in the dead man's hands. She reached for it, wondering where the other two men had gone but discovered one location soon enough: He must have been on the van roof because she saw a net fall down on Eric and he was knocked to the ground and hissing in pain. She saw the second man moving out of the van towards Eric with a silver chain and she surprised him by plunging the knife into his chest. Since Eric was still struggling with the silver net, she decided to think about what she'd done later. Eric was sizzling under the silver so she worked to remove it. Some flesh came with the net and she hesitated. He grimaced out an order for her to just yank it hard and fast. She did and he was on his feet quickly enough to grab the last drainer before he made it out of the alley. He kept this one alive for questioning. By this time, Pam arrived in the alley and he ordered her to call in help for the clean-up. He pushed Sookie towards Pam's car and further ordered Pam to take her back to Fangtasia.

Sookie was shocked. '_Was he so mad at me walking into the basement that he didn't want me_? So hurt by the rejection she blindly limped into Pam's car for the drive back to Fangtasia. She could hear them speaking in Swedish, but she didn't care. Pam got into the car and as they started to pull away, she looked back and her heart swelled. Eric was making the wish symbol down his chest. She returned it quickly before Pam moved the car out of his view.

Now that the adrenalin was gone, the tears started and Pam reached for her hand. "You were very brave back there. You saved my maker."

"Is he very mad at me?"

"Why would he be mad at YOU?"

"I ran away after I saw him in the basement with the vampire in chains."

"Well, I'm sure you two need to discuss that, but he's not mad at you."

"Then why are you taking me back?" They'd arrived at Fangtasia and Pam was helping Sookie out of the car, her fighting had hurt her foot and walking was painful.

"It's called bloodlust Sookie. He can explain it better but he was hurt during the fight. He needs blood and if he tried to comfort you right now, that's not really what would happen."

"What do you mean; shouldn't I go back and give him my blood?"

"Crumb cake, when you start being more physical with Eric, you may enjoy him in the state of bloodlust. Right now, he would be too rough, or possibly take it too far. He'll be back after he addresses his needs."

Sookie gasped. "Take me back; I don't want him to have sex with anyone else, Pam!"

"He's not going to have sex with anyone, he's committed to you, but he'll likely feed from the drainer you just killed, maybe even the other one. He'll take the remaining drainer to his warehouse and torture him to learn whatever he can. He'll be calmer then."

"What does he need to learn from him?"

"Whether the three acted alone, names of other drainers, any information they have on vampires, that kind of stuff." She guided her to the shower. "Here, I'll put some clothes on the bench for you. We'll go back to your house to wait for Eric when you're done."

Sookie showered and spent most of the time thinking about her telepathy. She knew she trusted Eric, but would he be mad she kept it from him? Would he think she was a freak like everyone in town thought? Would it change things for the worse between them? She no longer rejected the relationship based on how it started, she wanted Eric and she was pretty positive that he already loved her. Could he love and accept all of her, the telepath and the normal everyday girl? She had come to the realization that she could accept and eventually love all of Eric - her Eric and 'sheriff Eric' - could he do the same? Maybe she already loved him, but wasn't admitting it – she knew now she would do anything for him – she killed a man tonight! Granted, she was ensuring her own safety too, but she kind of liked that they fought the drainers together. Honesty was needed now and the best way to do it was to involve herself in the interview with the surviving drainer. She could probably get more out of him than torture for Eric anyway. After all, she already knew the three that attacked her were not working alone. Trying to convince herself that her decision was the right one, she repeated a mantra in her head, '_it won't change anything, he'll still want me_' over and over again.

"Pam" she started as she entered the office. "I need you to take me to the warehouse."

"I'm to take you home Sookie, Eric's orders. But I must say Eric is going to lose it seeing you in his dress shirt like that. God Sookie, that's sexier than I could've imagined. Too bad I could only find track pants that are way too large for you. You should just take them off and wear the shirt as a dress."

She ignored Pam's comment about her outfit and focused on her request. "Trust me this once, please. There is something I need to tell Eric about this evening and the drainers."

"Cupcake, you're going to get me in trouble."

"I'll defend you, I promise."

OOOoooOOOooo

Eric was feeling a bit better. He had needed to drain both drainers, he chuckled at his pun in his head, to get over most of his bloodlust and torturing the other drainer would probably help. He was caked in blood, from the vampire punishment, the fight, the draining and now from his start on the remaining drainer. The three had attacked Sookie, touched her and it made him blindingly mad. Just for having that thought, he snapped the whip across the drainer's chest in front him, hard enough to break skin and have more blood spill. "That was for my Lover. Nobody touches her and lives."

"Eric."

"I'm certain I don't hear you Pam because you were ordered to take Sookie home and stay with her. She better not be alone just so you could come and play with the human."

"I'm not alone Eric, I'm here." He cringed. Sookie was here, and would likely never get the image of him standing before this human while coated in blood out of her head. He seethed.

He kept his back to both of them and bellowed. "PAM! Du betalar för att ignorera mina order, allvarligt! (You will pay for ignoring my orders, severely).

"Eric, I insisted. I need to tell you something and it can't wait any longer. Please, look at me." He was frozen by fear. If he turned now and saw Sookie looking at him coldly, it would crush him. Instead of turning, he felt a hand on his arm. "Eric, please."

When he finally turned, what he saw stunned him. Standing before him was his Sookie. She looked worried, but not afraid, not angry, not cold. "Sookie, I"

"Wait Eric, I need to tell you something first, before I lose my nerve. Is the drainer secure for a bit?"

"Yes."

"Can we, I don't know, go for a walk or something?"

"A walk?"

"This could take a few minutes, and I wanted to have the discussion in private. You can tell Pam later, I promise that, I just need to have the conversation first with only you. I also don't want your guards to overhear."

NOW he was extremely interested. He wondered if she was finally ready to tell him her secret. He had been pulling bits and pieces of information together for months now and while he had some ideas, he never confronted her believing that trusting her to finally tell him herself was the way to go. Something tonight must have triggered her decision. This was not a discussion for the woods outside his warehouse. "It's still early, let me take a quick shower and I'll fly you home." She looked to say something but he insisted. "From here it's only about a 5 minute flight, and I have a jacket you can wear. Can you wait for me to shower and change?"

"Yes."

"Well, my little bon bon, you've done it again." Pam said after Eric left them and Sookie just stared. "My maker is shocked about something."

"He doesn't even know the half of it."

"Are you going to give me a hint?"

"Now, you're my BFF and all, but that's my man, he needs to hear it first."

"Oh strudel, how happy that statement makes me on both accounts. It took you long enough to claim him."

"I had a good amount of stuff to work through, give me a break, fang girl."

A few minutes later, Eric emerged, de-blooded and in a tight tee shirt and jeans. Sookie's lady bits throbbed for a moment before she remembered what came next: the flight. Ever the perfect gentleman for her, he held out his leather coat and helped her into it. She laughed and he raised one eyebrow in question. "We're standing in front of a bleeding human that wanted to hurt me so they could drain you, and your manners are impeccable."

"Good manners are always in style."

"Quoting Gran now too?"

"Stalling for your flight?" She bit her lip and nodded yes. "I won't drop you. Come on." He picked her up since he could see she was still limping on one leg and as soon as they were out the door, he took to the air. She squealed but at least she didn't scream and he just held her tighter. "Open your eyes Sookie."

"Maybe next time."

"Will you let me take you up again?"

"Maybe, if you still want to after I tell you something."

"Nothing you tell me could change anything."

"Just hurry so we can get home and I can do this before I lose my nerve."

"We're here."

"Wow!"

"I told you it was short. Where do you want to talk?"

"Your study."

"You've given this some thought; you answered that quickly."

"I don't know how you will take this, and I can handle 'mean Eric' in the study, but not the den or the other places where we normally have fun."

"Sookie, I'm not going to be 'mean Eric'. Relax." He was walking her into the den. "We'll be more comfortable here and you know it." Not wanting to let her go, he just sat on the couch with her in his lap. "I'm listening and I want you to know, just in case, if you've kept something a secret, I understand. You were moved here against your will and had no reason to trust me."

Instantly, he shoulders relaxed and her eyes brightened. "That just helped a lot. Thanks." She paused and grabbed his hand, as she often did, since playing with his fingers was therapeutic. "I do have a secret." She tried to go on, but her throat seized a bit and she started crying.

"Sookie, does the secret have to do with how you found my resting place originally?" She nodded. "Your headaches; why you don't date?" Another nod. "It's also how you know things, things that haven't been said, and why the idiots of Bon Temps call you Crazy Sookie and are afraid of you?" He could feel the pain at his words about Bon Temps and he wanted to murder them all. "It's how you really knew about the V-dealers at Fangtasia?" She started full on crying now. He stopped talking to just rub her back and calm her.

After a few moments she looked at him. "You know, don't you?"

"I can take a guess, but I want you to tell me."

"Eric, I… I'm a telepath." She held her breath and waited for the rejection or anger. Nothing, she saw nothing but acceptance from the same Eric who had been wooing her these past months. "You…you don't hate me or think I'm a freak?"

Eric decided it was confession time, and the set-up was perfect. "No Sookie, I LOVE you and I think you're perfect." She responded exactly as he expected; she burst into tears, again. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a handkerchief, something he never left home without these days, and cleaned Sookie's face and told her to blow.

"I think I can take care of my nose."

"I'm taking care of you because I'm going to kiss you now and I want you to be able to breathe."

"That would be so charming if this wasn't about snot." She giggled and complied. As soon as she was cleaned up, he went in for his kiss, and it was a good one. They both had felt raw and exposed, Sookie by sharing her secret, Eric by sharing his feelings and they sought comfort from each other through the kiss. He moved her beneath him on the couch to extend their kiss while he worked the buttons on his dress shirt she had put on. He loved it on her immediately, but they had other issues to deal with first. Now he could appreciate the shirt and the fact that she didn't have a bra on under it – something that required a bit of teasing.

"Sookie, a proper southern lady went flying without a bra? Tsk, tsk."

"I'm pretty sure the southern lady's guide to wearing under things didn't include provisions for when you stab an attacker and your bra is stained with spurting blood."

"We'll call them to add that to the book." He was enjoying that she could be playful even after the events of the evening. "If I pull down your pants, will I find you without panties too?"

"Nope, Fangtasia boy shorts."

"Oh, that could be even better. Can I look?"

"NO! Stop being bad and tell me when you knew you loved me."

"It was the night I left for the Queen's Christmas party. We hadn't really spoken for a few days before that night, do you remember?" She nodded. "When you came in right before I left, you kissed me and I just knew. I felt like my chest was going to explode from the feelings. I hated that we had been so distant and it wasn't until you accepted me that night that I realized it was love."

"I do remember that night. I had missed you so much when we weren't talking, but I needed to work through everything you'd told me about Theresa. Well, Pam helped that night as well. I know even though you'd just left, I felt better than I had all those days we didn't talk."

"I felt the same way." He picked up her hand to kiss it.

She sighed. "I'm really enjoying this, but we have to get back to your prisoner; I have more to tell you about the attack tonight."

"No, we aren't going back tonight. I'll call Pam to have her secure the prisoner. Tonight, I'm staying here to love my woman."

"Eric, I'm not…"

"I know you aren't prepared for intercourse, though I hope that happens soon. Loving you doesn't have to mean full blow sex. I just don't want to leave your side."

"Eric, that's so sweet. This isn't what I expected."

"I know, but can we talk again in a bit, I have about half the buttons left to undo on this shirt."

"By all means, carry on."

With her permission to carry on, he sped up his path to her breasts by pulling the shirt apart. The remaining buttons were pulled off by the action and went flying. She just laughed out loud at first, but when he took a nipple in his mouth, she cut off the laughter and moaned Eric's name. '_Much better than talking_' Eric thought. Not wanting either of his friends to feel left out, he moved to the other breast to provide the same attentions. Sookie meanwhile was stretching as much as she could to get her hands on Eric's ass, but it wasn't working. She pouted. "You can get to your favorite toys, but I can't get to mine, my arms are too short."

He chuckled through a mouthful of breast but didn't move so she decided to play dirty; it was something she'd wanted to do for him anyway. While she couldn't reach around to grab his ass, she could reach his belt buckle, button and zipper so she got to work. Eric was so shocked by her actions he actually retreated from his attentions to her breasts. "Sookie?"

"I've never done this, so help me out."

"If you're not ready, I don't want to push."

"I want to try, and I can feel that you're definitely ready." By then she had pulled down his zipper and found he'd gone commando. Fair play to give him grief if you asked Sookie. "Tsk, tsk you went flying without boxers Mr. Northman." She grabbed his cock and squeezed while she pulled.

"Sookie" he grunted.

She grabbed his hard cock and started stroking a bit clumsily so he took his hand over hers to show her how. After a few strokes she was on her own again and his hands were caressing whatever body part they could reach. He was growling a bit as he spoke. "Sookie, it's been so long, I won't last."

"That means I'm doing something right, then." He nodded as she continued stroking him; loving that she was bringing him pleasure.

"Squeeze harder Sookie, faster."

She sped up then bared her neck to him. "No" he said through gritted teeth. Instead, he bent to her breast and sucked hard on the nipple causing him to cum. He exploded all over Sookie's stomach. Ignoring the mess, he lay on top of her and started a kissing campaign of thanks. "That was a surprise."

"I felt like you needed it, and I wanted to try it. Was it OK?"

"Yes Sookie, it was more than OK, it was perfect."

She smiled at his praise. "I have question."

"Ask me anything." He sat up and removed his shirt to clean off his cum.

"Why didn't you feed? I know you're full and all from the drainers, but I thought you would want to combine feeding, you know with cumming."

"I would except I need to give you some blood and since you hadn't made a decision about bonding; I didn't want to assume you'd be OK with an exchange tonight."

"Oh, why do I need your blood?"

"For your limp and all these cuts on your hands from fighting the drainers, my little warrior."

She thought for a moment. She had just planned on good old fashioned 'time heals wounds', approach. Not having to wait would be nice, but she didn't want him to think she expected a healing every time she got hurt. She also didn't want to hurt him by rejecting his offer. She went with good old fashioned manners for her answer. "Thank you Eric, it'll be nice to not limp. I just don't want you to think I take your blood for granted and I understand if you choose to not heal me every time I get hurt."

"Wow, the southern lady is out tonight. Sookie, my blood is for you now. I will always heal you, in fact, after we bond we can exchange for the pleasure of it."

"Should we talk more about the bond now?"

"Do you want to?"

"I do."

"So we didn't talk about how a blood bond occurs. We need to exchange blood three times. An exchange is when we take blood from each other at the same or nearly the same too. We've exchanged once so far."

"Ok, and you and I can feel each other's emotions after we bond?"

"Yes. I should be able to send you emotions, so I could send you love or calm if we are in one of those situations. Normally, a vampire bonded to a human can control the human."

"You mentioned that before, why did you add normally?"

"With your telepathy and your inability to be glamoured I don't think that would happen with us. But even if it was true I wouldn't do that."

"Never?"

"If I could command you and you were in danger AND not doing what was needed to be done, then I would send you a command, but THAT is the only reason."

"And it's forever?"

"Yes. And it protects you; no other vampire can come between a bonded pair."

"Give me just a few more days, I'll think about it."

"Certainly."

They sat quietly for a while before she spoke again. "I killed a man tonight."

He had wondered when it would come up. "I know. You saved me you know."

"Pam was on her way, the two of you could've taken the two left at that point."

"But you didn't know that she was on her way. You reacted to save us both."

"I feel bad that the whole thing happened, but I honestly don't feel bad that I killed him for doing what he was about to do. I'm almost mad at him that he put me in that position: to kill to save you and likely me. I mean, what were they planning to do with me after they had drained you? We just don't know."

"Maybe we'll learn more from the one at the warehouse."

She stood from the couch. "I'm getting changed. That'll give you a chance to call Pam." She hesitated. "Unless you changed your mind and we are going to interview the drainer tonight. OH NO! We're supposed to go to Bon Temps tomorrow night to stay with Gran through the wedding. We'll need to interview the drainer tonight."

He sighed. "I hate that you're right. We'll heal you then go." He adjusted himself to the corner of the couch with one leg on the floor. He patted to the space between his legs. "Come here."

She sat in the spot he'd patted and he pulled her up tightly to his chest. "Remember, my wound will close quickly, you can't hesitate." Before he bit his wrist, he nuzzled her neck and started rubbing her breasts.

"What are you doing?"

"Will you let me pleasure you while we do this?" He moved his hand to her jeans and unbuttoned them.

"Won't it just get you worked up again?"

"I'll be fine." He pulled her zipper down and moved his hand in now that he had enough room.

His long fingers reached down and she gasped as he moved his fingers into her panties and started rubbing her. "Mmmm."

She heard him crunch into his wrist and present it to her; then she latched on and moaned. '_I should be disgusted from drinking blood, but he tastes good and OH, what's he doing with his hand now? That feels so good_.' He pressed harder as she finished his blood, rubbing circles over her lower lips and told her to let go. "Eric!" She yelled as she came. For a few minutes they caressed each other while her breathing evened out.

"Unfortunately, we need to go." He said.

"I know. I'll be down in 10."

"One more kiss?"

She turned her head to grant his request. The kiss was sweet, not meant to start anything and she pulled back and smiled.

"I have another question." He nodded for her to continue and she pointed to his cock. "Is that thing gonna fit in me?"


	23. Curiosity

**Hi all: **

**It took me a week to write chapter 36 - and I'm STILL thinking about it. Yikes - I have to pick up that pace or you guys will be too close to being caught up... Can't have that.**

**School ends for the kids tomorrow. I start to get excited; THEN I realize that WORK doesn't stop for the summer - whaa.**

**Hope you enjoy adventures in telepathy.**

**~mags**

January 22, 2004

"So how does this work? You're telepathy I mean."

"It just is. I actually have to work to turn it off, and since I moved in with you I get very little practice doing that so when I do go out in public it's overwhelming."

'_Another thing to feel guilty about_.' Eric thought. "Hence your headaches."

She nodded. "I'm surprised you haven't asked if I can read your mind."

"When I started to suspect, I sent you images, things you would've reacted to. I was already thinking you couldn't since the difference between you at home and out was remarkable, but I had to be sure. You were so poker faced I doubted my theory that you read minds was correct."

"You HAD TO be sure?"

"Sookie, a telepath that could read vampire minds wouldn't live long if it got out. Vampires are just too secretive."

"Well I'm glad I can't read your minds then, not just for the quiet, but so I can – you know – live."

Her shoulders tensed and she turned her body, just slightly away from Eric during the discussion on hearing vampire thoughts. He could also feel some fear. "Sookie, I'll alwaysprotect you, you have nothing to fear from me even if you could read my thoughts." He reached for her hand and kissed it. She softened at his words. "You're sure we can tell Pam?"

"Yes, and Potts too."

"You can tell Potts tomorrow, can you read her?"

"I can get emotions from her, no thoughts. Guess that's a daemon?"

"Why don't you two just talk tomorrow about it, she may have insight into why you only get her emotions?"

"Good idea."

"Can you hear Weres or any type of shifter?"

"It's mostly red and swirly but I can only hear bits and pieces. If I make physical contact, it gets clearer. Actually, while not necessary, physical contact makes even humans clearer."

"Good to know."

Sookie thought for a few minutes about what she would see when they got to the warehouse, and images of what she'd seen in Fangtasia's basement flooded her head, she realized she also felt guilty and she told him about it. "Eric. I'm sorry I walked down to the basement last night. I should have known better."

He was going to wait to bring this up; she really shouldn't have left the office at all, now that she gave him the window though….. "Sookie, I'm mostly upset that you left the office at all. I thought we talked about that. I never told you to stay out of the basement, but well, now you know. Unless I take you down there, it's not a place for you."

"Ok, I won't go down there, but I can't be stuck in the office for that long either. I know it hasn't happened before – you know it's not like you normally need me to stay in the office, but we have to work something out."

"We'll make a better plan the next time we're together at Fangtasia. Why did you go downstairs anyway?"

She sucked in air past her teeth, knowing he wasn't going to be happy. "Well, I needed you for some questions on the reports. SHIT, they aren't finished!"

"We'll get to them."

She nodded in agreement. "Anyway, I was looking for you and Yvetta found me instead. She goaded me into going down. I'm such an idiot, I fell for her taunts that you were downstairs with a 'dark beauty' as she said. Well the vampire was a dark beauty, but obviously nothing for me to be jealous about."

"I'm surprised you fell for her taunts. The vampire was being punished for selling his own blood as V. As far as Yvetta; she will be gone from the bar before you go back again. I'm yours Sookie, Yvetta is just a jealous whore and I'm sorry I let her near you."

"Well, she thinks you're her boyfriend."

"Never."

The rest of the ride was made in silence. Eric took the time to plan his moves. A telepath would be a prize for any vampire and he needed to protect her. He wished she wasn't special like this, it would make it easier for him to keep her hidden but if he had figured it out, that meant that others could and she'd be in danger. '_I'll need to call Cataliades for advice. I'm unsure if my companion registration will protect us if we aren't bonded. A contract for an asset might be better, but that could expose her if someone actually reads the fine print. I DO need to petition for her release since she saved my life. I can probably get approval to cancel out Jason's punishment for such an act of bravery. Then she can be free to choose. I can't bear to think she would leave me, but it has to be her choice_.' He felt an actual ache in his chest at the thought and unconsciously squeezed her hand harder, she squeezed back not understanding it was his pain that caused him to clench. She thought he was sending her reassurance.

They arrived at the warehouse and found Pam taunting the prisoner with her toys, or rather torture devices. She hadn't touched him, but she certainly let him know what was coming. "Sookie, I will move our guest to a chair in the meeting room while you and Pam talk." She nodded.

"Ok pop-tart, what's going on?"

"I'm a telepath."

"No, really."

"I'm a telepath, I can read human minds."

"What am I thinking?"

"Live human minds Pam. You have no brainwaves, so I can't read you – at least that's my theory. I'll be interviewing our guest, Jerry, in a moment."

"How is he going to keep you alive and with us now?"

"What?"

"PAM! Skrämmer henne inte. Jag har inte diskuterat dessa problem ännu. Jag kommer att tala med min advokat för vägledning." (Do not frighten her. I have not discussed those problems yet. I will be speaking with my lawyer for guidance.) He reached for Sookie. "Your interviewee is ready now."

"Pam, can you take notes as I repeat his thoughts?" She nodded. Sookie looked at Eric. "It will be faster if I can touch him."

"Yes, I guessed that, so I chained him down with an area of his arm exposed."

Jerry was in fact chained down well to a hard wooden chair with arms. A cushioned seat was placed in front of his, and there was a bottle of Excedrin and a sweet tea on the table. She saw him throw stuff into a backpack at home for the meeting, but she hadn't known what the items were until now. She wanted to say 'aww' for his care, but it just wasn't the place; instead she took her seat and placed a hand on his exposed arm. "Jerry, who are you working for?"

"Go to hell bitch!" He spat back.

Ignoring his verbal response, she repeated his thoughts back to Pam. "He works for a man named Archie Hammond. He's part of the Fellowship of the Sun. They look for vampire, um companions, and offer money for information. From there, they track down vampire day staff and offer more money or …" she gasped and scowled at Jerry. "YOU ASSHOLES, you threaten family and friends – in the name of GOD?" Sookie could only shake her head at Jerry while he stared wide eyed at her.

"What kind of vampire whore are you?"

Eric moved to hurt him and she put her arm up to block the hit. He was a bit pissed at first that she stopped him, but she explained quickly. "He's got more in there. If he's too hurt that all he thinks about is the pain, I can't get any more out of him." He nodded that he understood and she answered Jerry. "I'm not a whore, but I am a telepath." Jerry's eyes widened in fear.

They went on to ask more questions about Archie, the plans and their methods and Sookie gathered everything she could. An hour later, she felt there was nothing left in his head and she was exhausted. "He's done, nothing more I can get. I'm not sure what happens next, but it's close to 5AM and I'm beat. Can one of you take me home?"

"Pam, you will stay here and take care of Jerry. Sookie, I'll take you home."

The exhaustion took over and even though Sookie wanted to talk more about what her telepathy meant, AND Pam's comment about keeping her alive, she couldn't stay awake. Eric carried her to his bed; certain she would yell about it tomorrow, removed her shoes and jeans and tucked her into the blankets. His work on how to best keep Sookie safe and with him began. He worked well past sunrise and even needed to push himself for another thirty minutes to arrange security for Gran and Jason, as they could be taken for leverage, and he hadn't thought of that until he was being pulled to his daydeath. His fear for Sookie and her family kept him going. Technically, nothing had changed; Sookie was as safe, or unsafe, as she had been the day before but that logic didn't work to calm him. He was almost in panic to put the pieces in place to secure her.

OOOoooOOOooo

When he rose the next night, Sookie was by his side. She had changed, so he knew she hadn't just slept through the whole day. He loved having a small personal warmer on one side and he moved so he could wrap himself around her even more. Usually eager to start some work while he was trapped in his light secure chamber, he just stayed in his curled up position around Sookie and waited for her to stir. About 30 minutes later he felt her move and smile against his chest. "Good evening."

"Good evening to you. This is quite a surprise." He paused and looked down at her face as it rested on his chest. "You aren't mad that I put you in my bed last night?"

"No. When I woke up around noon, I was a little disoriented, but decided to just go with it. I even tucked back in with you just to enjoy it for a while."

He noticed she sounded a little subdued but he guessed she was just slow to wake. "I know about that; I've been up for about a half hour just holding you."

"That's sweet. Are you trying to live up to the name cuddle bear?"

"No." He moved so he could to pull her closer to his face. "Right now, I'd prefer to live up to the name make-out at rising bear." Her face came fully into view; she'd been crying. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?"

"The wedding is canceled. Dawn lost the baby." She was crying now and he returned to the bed to hold her. "She was cheating on him Eric. She was cheating on him as a fangbanger. That restaurant in Monroe where those vampires took that girl, you know the one?" He nodded. "Apparently she went there a few nights a week for some extra waitressing shifts, telling Jason it was to save for the baby." Her crying became harder now. "Well, sh… she wasn't just picking up extra shifts, she was picking up vampires. Jason had no idea. Anyway, it all c..caame out today cause she never made it home last night, and she finally called from the hospital. The vampire she was with got too rough and he killed the b…baaby. She had t .. to go through labor only to" She sobbed. "Only to d … deliver a lifeless baby girl." She was blubbering now, and all Eric could do was rock her.

He was thinking of several things. First was finding out who was too rough with a pregnant woman in his area; they would pay. He also needed to call Alcide. He'd contracted for some surprise work to be done in his daychamber for Sookie since they were supposed to be at Gran's for three nights and four days. Their away time was about to be canceled.

"Sookie, should we go out there, see Gran and Jason?"

"Jason is distraught and Gran doesn't want me around him right now."

"I don't understand."

"She's afraid he's going through so much that it would hurt me to be near him. I still want to just go and hug him, and I want to see Dawn in the hospital, get more information out of her, if you know what I mean."

"Ok, we'll go visit, and then come home."

"Actually, can we still stay at Gran's? I mean the bags are packed, you made arrangements at work, right?"

"I may have to leave to take care of some things with this Soldiers of the Light emergency, but sure, we can stay at your Gran's."

"You're going to punish the vampire that would hurt a pregnant woman, aren't you?"

"Yes I am, just as soon as you get the details from Dawn."

"Eric, can we talk about Pam's comments about keeping me safe while we drive?"

"I wish she had kept her mouth shut about that."

"I don't. Look, I appreciate you want to protect me, but shouldn't I understand what's going on? Shouldn't I be as prepared as a fragile, weak human can be?"

Eric didn't like that. He wished he could lock Sookie away from the world and keep her protected, but he also knew she would wither under such conditions. He considered her comments. He would fill her in, of course, but was there more they could be doing? Potts was a formidable fighter, perhaps Sookie should train. Once in the car he started to explain. "Sookie, in the SUPE world your skills as a telepath would be sought after. You will be considered a prize to whatever vampire owns you." He looked at her face change. "Don't scowl; it ruins your beautiful face. I know you don't like the terminology but it's our reality. I'll work with my attorney in the very near future to secure you, and I WILL keep you informed of our plans." He took an unneeded breath and continued. "As for you being prepared? I reluctantly agree and I'll discuss a training regimen with Potts. She can start with teaching you defense and expand to other skills as you progress. I can teach you some knife skills. Perhaps we can find some daggers or something similar you can easily carry with you as defense."

"I hate that this is my world, but I refuse to sit back and let something happen. I hate that you would OWN me, but if that is how it must be; then you are my choice." She looked back at him for a moment then asked her next question. "What did you mean, you reluctantly agree for me being prepared?"

"I wish you didn't need to be prepared. Even more, I'm selfish and I would rather you sat as a lady of leisure while I worked or rested, then loved me and spent time with me when I rise."

"A housewife?"

"A rich, spoiled housewife. No house chores, no hard labor gardening, no other work. Maybe spending time on your studies."

She cackled. "It's bad enough that winning the lottery made Gran a lady of leisure. That's not gonna happen with me."

He sighed. "It was worth a shot."

OOOoooOOOooo

It only took a few minutes at the hospital to get the information on the vampire and for Sookie to be thoroughly disgusted with her almost sister in law. Eric could feel the anger rolling off Sookie as they visited, but she kept it to herself. After leaving the hospital, Sookie drove the car since she knew the way to Jason's and Eric needed to send some directions to Pam. In the car he asked. "Why didn't you say anything to her about how mad you are?"

"I was mad, but she knows she did wrong. Her own guilt over what happened to the baby, what she did to Jason, it's eating her alive. Nothing I could say would ever make her feel worse than she already does."

"You have sympathy for her?"

"Do you feel any?" He shook his head. "I don't. But I'm not going to waste my energy getting upset at her either. We got what we wanted. You get to be all badass Sheriff on that vampire, Steven, I've faced her and I know she's suffering. I'm good."

"You're fine knowing what Pam and I are going to do to Steven?"

"Like the guy I stabbed last night, I would rather nobody be in this position, but Steven overstepped, well I'm guessing that's the case since you're about to kill something."

"I can't say that we've ever had the rule on the books to not hurt a pregnant human, but he's in my area where Dawn was listed as under my protection. That and it's just common sense and decency."

"Dawn is under your protection?"

"Yes, you, Gran, Jason and Dawn. Technically not the baby, but I still feel justified. Dawn will be removed shortly to be honest."

"I had no idea."

"Hurting them hurts you Sookie. I need to cut back on the tears anyway I can."

"Sure sure, it's all practical. What about the decency thing. Do vampires lose control around pregnancy hormones or something?"

"Pregnancy can cause women to taste sweeter, but it shouldn't cause a lack of control. I just believe some lines shouldn't be crossed."

She saw a flash of sadness cross Eric's face. "Eric." She grabbed his hand. "Did you have ….. when you were human, did you have children?"

"I did. I had to leave them behind when I was turned."

Seeing his hurt, she quickly backpedalled. "You don't need to talk about it. I'm sorry I asked."

"I've never spoken of them. I'll tell you the story when we have a long evening together."

"I'd be honored to hear their story." Wanting to move off the topic of Eric's children, she asked about something he'd mentioned a moment ago. "Explain what you meant about the baby not being part of the protection. How could a baby still in the womb not be part of the protection?"

"Vampires are very literal and while I would certainly agree with your comments, some vampires would twist the protection order verbiage stating it did not specifically include wording for the child."

"That's stupid."

"Well, don't worry about it. He will be punished."

They pulled into Jason's shortly after their discussion and as predicted, Jason's thoughts in his grief and anger were too much for Sookie so they only stayed a short while. Eric waited outside since Jason was so lost to his feelings he couldn't issue the invitation without a struggle. Since Gran was spending the night with Jason, they headed back to the farmhouse. To Sookie's surprise, Pam was waiting on the porch for them. "What's going on?"

Pam looked to Eric so he answered. "Steven has been picked up and is in the basement of Fangtasia awaiting me. I need to hand down the punishment since his harm of Dawn was an act against my protection order. He will meet his final death tonight at my hands." Sookie looked down, but nodded in understanding. "Pam will be staying with you until I return. You can have girl time."

"Ok, I understand."

He leaned down to give her a kiss. "I'll be back a few hours before dawn."

Before she could allow the melancholy start, Pam called. "Come on croquembouche, we have nails to paint."

OOOoooOOOooo

"What are you searching for now, Pam? More lingerie? How many bras could you possibly need?"

"I'm searching for you, Sookie."

"ME? I have plenty of underthings."

She turned to Sookie and took on a very serious look. "Sookie, can I ask you something?"

"Sure Pam, anything."

"Do you love Eric?"

She was taken aback by Pam's question for a moment, but answered her truthfully. "I've been thinking about this a great deal Pam. I know that's where I'm headed. I just can't say for sure that I love him yet."

"That's fair. Have you considered that you just aren't admitting it to yourself?"

"Yes, I've considered that. I do know I'm no longer worried about how we started. His persistence paid off."

"Are you afraid to move forward?"

"No we grow closer every day." Pam was silent for a moment. "Oh, you mean sex?"

"I'm not pushing, I'm just offering to talk about it, and buy you some stuff I know he'll love."

"It's going to hurt. He's huge Pam."

"I won't lie to you, there will be some pain; whether is just a pinch or something more can depend on your size, his size, and how prepared you are."

"Yes, when I commented on his size Eric mentioned preparing me."

"He's not new to this, you couldn't wish for a more skilled lover Sookie. He'll be very gentle, that is until you're ready for more."

"How do you know all this stuff about him and what if I don't want more than gentle?"

"Eric and I were lovers when he first turned me. Actually, he took my virginity before he turned me. There is nothing between us – well like that - any longer."

"Are all makers and children like that?"

"Many, but it's not a rule. Now, as far as if you ever want more than gentle? I'm pretty sure you will, how much or to what extent will be up to you and Eric." Sookie was still quiet at her answer so Pam asked back. "Did you ever have that talk Sookie? You remember you were concerned about some of the things he might want in a sexual relationship?"

"No, I've been a bit afraid about it."

"Muffin, you need to have that talk. This weekend is the perfect time."

"You're right Pam."

"Now that we have that settled, let's talk about some mechanics." Sookie's eyes grew wide, but Pam pressed on. "Come on crumbcake, listen to your friend and take some advice."

Pam and Sookie finished a very detailed and blush-inducing conversation on many of the, mechanics of sex. Sookie had seen many images over the years, but having Pam describe the details WAS helpful although extremely embarrassing. In the end, Sookie was grateful for her friend's help. "Thank you Pam, for the talk. Let's look at some of this stuff from La Perla, don't tell him we shopped."

"Of course, secrets are part of being besties."

OOOoooOOOooo

At the basement at Fangtasia, Eric was taking his aggression out on Steven very LOUDLY, reminding any vampires that could hear about his protection orders for the Stackhouse family and just what would happen to anyone who fucked with them. He decided that Steven needed to suffer, mostly so he could repeat the claims for several nights before finally ending him. Touching anything that was Eric's carried the penalty of final death after torture. The vampires in the bar knew that very well at this point and word would spread quickly. Feeling satisfied with his message for the evening, he drank several bloods to slake his blood thirst, cleaned up and flew back to the farmhouse.

Dealing with Steven didn't scare him; a legion fully armed soldiers didn't scare him. Pam and Sookie conspiring on the couch and snickering when he walked in: That scared him. "What are you two up to?"

Simultaneous 'nothings' didn't bode well. He raced to see what was on Pam's laptop screen but when he got there, it was a picture of a kitten playing with a butterfly. He didn't fall for it, but they weren't talking. "I'll take my leave now." Pam said as she stood from the couch. "Good night crescent roll."

HOP! Eric took Pam's place by hopping over the back of the couch. "Now that we're alone." He started with an eye waggle. "I have something I want to do."

"I'm sure." She reached to kiss him but he pulled her hands away from his face. Puzzled, Sookie asked very eloquently, "huh?"

"I want to talk about how you and Dawn found my resting place."

"THAT'S what you want to do since we are alone?"

"I've been dying to know.

"You can't be dying to know if you're already dead, goof."

He rolled his eyes at her. "You know what I mean. You have to tell me, there could be a huge gap in my security."

"Did YOU just roll you eyes?" He ignored the comment. I'll tell you, I just want to grab a snack, hang on."

He got up to follow her and immediately thought of puppies that follow their humans. "You haven't had dinner yet, have you? We were supposed to have that here, and with everything that happened…."

"I'm fine; I found some leftovers in the fridge. I really only want something small to eat. Why are you following me, you can hear me just fine from the living room."

"I have to strain my neck too much to watch your ass as you walk away from the couch."

"ERIC!"

"I'm just being honest. Ok, now you have your snack, tell me."

She told him every detail of the investigation, planning and execution of her brother's rescue. She started with her probing of Lala's mind and ended at the part he saw on the security tapes from the warehouse. He was mesmerized. She truly would have gotten away with it if the other guard that had the key had stayed behind instead of walking the perimeter. He would have eventually recaptured and probably killed Jason, but that was beside the point. The information she got through telepathy helped her, but only to confirm Jason was in the building. If anyone was trying to follow Eric to find his resting place, a similar plan of patiently following a few turns a night in a different car with disguises would work. The more he praised her, the more she stated it was her telepathy or disability as she called it, which made the plan work.

"So you see all those times you thought me clever, it was my mind trick."

"Sookie, you may have an added sense if you will with your GIFT (she rolled her eyes), but that in itself doesn't make you smarter. Your idea to trade out cars and follow only for a few turns – that wasn't telepathy. Remember when you first learned about shifters and I described the inbred panthers – you guessed hot shot immediately, YOU put the clues together. YOU decided to apply at Norse Enterprises, you were going to listen for your brother, but that was only going to happen after you made the plan to go in. You are clever, not your telepathy." She shrugged his comments off and leaned into him on the couch. "Can you tell me more about the glamour or rather the memories you saw under Lala's glamour?"

"What do you want to know?"

"I'm just amazed that you can see what we try to suppress. How did you find it?"

"Like I said, it was black spots in his mind. I needed to ask him questions about what I saw, and more memories would pop in. I don't know how else to describe it. It hurt Lala like hell and tired me out."

"Speaking of tired, you practically have me yawning you're so tired. Time for you to go to bed."

"Are you tucking me in?"

"I was hoping you'd come down to the daychamber."

"What about during the day, there's no food down there, I'll need to come up."

"You can still do that, just close the door to the stairs before you open the door to your closet, no light should get in. Or we can pack something."

"OK."

"OK? I thought I'd get more of a fight."

"Just get your skinny ass downstairs."

"I have to grab my laptop to finish those reports and write up the information on this drainer/Fellowship of the Sun group while you sleep. I'll meet you downstairs in 10."

Sookie was on the bed wringing her hands a bit when Eric walked down. "What has you so nervous?"

"You can feel that, huh?"

"Even if I couldn't feel it, anyone could see it." He sat and took her hands. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, I just need to talk to you about something."

"Talking to ME shouldn't make you nervous."

"This topic does." She took a breath and dove in. "Eric. Now that you know about my mind reading, you should know that I've seen what…. I mean, some of the women at Fangtasia, well, specifically Yvetta."

He groaned and closed his eyes. "What did you see?"

"Stuff that I don't think I'd ever want to do."

"I'm sure you wouldn't."

"Then how can you commit…"

"Sookie, that was relief, and some of it not even sexual relief but anger and frustration. Yvetta was willing, eager in fact for most of that."

"Yes, she was hoping for repeats." She paused and started playing with her own hands again. "Is that what you want to do with me or to me?"

Realizing he needed to refocus Sookie a bit he took a different tactic. "Sookie, did you see kissing?" She shook her head. "Hugging?" Head shake. "Intimacy, caressing, talking?" Tears started as she was finally understanding what he meant. "I want to make love to you. Over and over again. Is that what you saw?"

"No, what I saw was violence. But surely you aren't going to want soft and gentle every time."

"I doubt you will either, but where we take things is something we will decide on together as we learn. I will never do something that you don't want, and even if you decide to explore, we will never go as far as I went with Yvetta. You will never be an Yvetta to me. She was a prop, a place to vent my anger." He smirked, "I usually went to Yvetta after we had one of our legendary fights."

"I don't know whether to feel bad for her or thank her."

Picking her up to tuck her under the covers, he offered. "She should thank YOU, I'm not lying when I say what you saw is what Yvetta wanted."

"Oh, I know she did, buuut enough about that topic."

Once they settled into bed, Sookie asked about the next steps for the drainer issue. "Archie Hammond will be picked up today and at my warehouse tonight. I've already sent out instructions to my Were guards. I'll need to leave your Gran's to question him tonight." He stopped, he hated to ask, he didn't want her to think he was using her telepathy, that his interest in her had anything to do with the gift she called a disability.

"Eric, I'll go to question him with you."

"Sookie, I don't want you to think I love you because of your telepathy."

"Eric, you started pursing me before you knew any of this.. You call it a gift, and for us to share gifts is what couples do. You share your strength with me by protecting me and my family. You took me flying, it was scary as hell, but I want to try it again. If you were human, I would cook for you because I can. As it is, YOU cook for me because surprisingly, you can. This is just me sharing something I can do with you. We should probably read all your Fangtasia employees, even Norse if you want." He sat with his mouth open at her statement. When he said nothing, she decided to test if he was still 'with him'. "Besides Eric, I know you love me for my boobs."


	24. Damn Distractions

**Hi folks: Got a slightly longer than normal one for you. Hope you enjoy the distractions, I know Eric really doesn't like them at this point...eventually we'll use that new LaPerla - I promise.**

**Have a great day everyone!**

**~M**

Chapter 23 – Damn Distractions

January 24, 2004

Archie was one of many 'Soldiers of the Light' as he called himself, dispersed through a few southern states. The Soldiers of the Light were the fighting branch of the Fellowship of the Sun. They were under orders to find vampire companions and either outright buy information and assistance or threaten family and friends for compliance. Sookie was able to obtain the names of Archie's counterparts in Mississippi, Texas and Florida. According to Archie's thoughts, some of the southern states had no representatives because the vampire population was too low. The next steps were to notify Sophie-Anne, Eric's Queen, so she could alert the other monarchs. For now, they were keeping Sookie and her telepathy a secret by stating that Archie gave up his contacts after being tortured. Since Eric knew some monarchs may need to see or meet Archie, he was kept alive and Sookie read his mind from another room. Obtaining the information was slower this way since they needed to stop and coach Pam on questions; but it was necessary to keep her gift hidden.

Since Gran would be asleep when they got to the Farmhouse, Sookie offered for her and Eric to go home to Shreveport. He was adamant that they stay at the farmhouse since Gran would be home on Sunday for a proper visit. Additionally she could help Jason as she had planned with packing Dawn's stuff and dropping it at the doorstep of her friend's house on Sunday. When they were discussing her day with Jason, Eric reminded her that she had to run the errands with her guard. "I hate having guards."

"It's part of your life now, but you can yell at me later, I have to call the Queen." He kissed her forehead and went to the office he kept at the warehouse while Pam and Sookie talked in the meeting room.

"I have something for you." She pointed to a shopping bag. "I sent Bobby to New Orleans today."

"OK, we like maybe Bobby work on the weekends, so this is already good."

"It gets better. Saks Fifth Avenue carries La Perla."

"You, you got my stuff already?" She asked, her voice rising in excitement.

"I thought you might want it ASAP."

"Yeah, I think I'll wear the baby doll tonight."

"SOOKIE! If I only knew you needed La Perla to yield, I would have done this sooner."

"It's the timing Pam, not just the negligee. Hey! What do we do about the order we placed last night?"

"We'll still get that, Eric likes to rip stuff sometimes." Sookie gasped. "Oh sweetie, you'll like it." She started giggling and Pam joined. They were interrupted by a loud thud and a crash. Pam vamped to the office. Being slower, Sookie was a moment behind but she could hear yelling in Swedish.

Seated in a chair in the hall, Sookie gave them a few minutes to yell out their anger. Finally, Eric emerged and knelt before Sookie, taking her hands in his. "Sookie I'm sorry but I need to go to New Orleans tonight. I must be there for a meeting at first dark tomorrow night. Pam is going with me. Thalia will meet us at Gran's and will stay with you until I return."

Pam, knowing what Sookie had planned for the evening, watched as Sookie's face melted slowly until the tears started. Eric knew he really didn't have time to coddle her so he picked her up and carried her to Pam's car. The backseat of the sedan was large enough that Eric could sit with Sookie for the drive. Pam spun out of the parking lot and they headed to Bon Temps where they would leave for New Orleans. The crying didn't stop while they drove and Eric really couldn't figure out why this trip was so upsetting. Sure, he was mad too, but he'd be back, hopefully in just a night or two. Finally he asked. "Sookie, talk to me, why are you taking this so badly?"

"I wanted….I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, but as soon as we have a plan for the Fellowship, I'll be back. Thalia will protect you until I return."

They had pulled into Gran's drive at this point. He stood and pulled her out. "I see Thalia in the woods already. I'll just put you to bed and then we're off."

"What about packing your clothes?"

"I have a house full of clothes in New Orleans; we'll both be fine. I wouldn't have time to pack anyway; the Queen won't tolerate it if I don't make it on time and we need to get down their quickly to be at the palace at first dark tonight."

He reached her bedroom, set her on the bed, and started taking off her shoes. She tried to bat his hands away. "I can do that. Go, get there before dawn."

"I'm putting my girl to bed; it will only take a moment."

He was pulling her jeans down her legs. "Don't be so sweet before you need to go. It'll only make it harder."

He pushed her to the side to expose one panty covered butt cheek and he playfully swatted it. "GO TO BED! Is that better?"

She giggled. "Much." Lifting her with one arm, he was able to pull back the covers with the other and tuck her in.

He leaned into her face. "I know you aren't ready to say it, but I love you Sookie Stackhouse and I'll be back before you know it."

"I…I"

"Shh, we'll talk when I'm back." He kissed her sweetly and was out the door but not before he heard her start to cry in earnest. He turned back and saw Gran walking across the hall to Sookie's room making a shooing motion with her hands. Knowing he didn't have time and even more so knowing he shouldn't go against Adele's instruction, he headed for Pam's car.

Gran got into bed with Sookie and held her as she cried, shushing and rocking her. Before she could get her to talk, Sookie fell asleep and she left her to her dreams. She'd heard enough from her room to know that Eric was called to some meeting with his Queen. Sookie had filled her in on the hierarchy with Eric's permission, so she knew this was Eric's boss. She also heard Sookie's concern, their momentary playfulness and Eric's telling her he loved her. Since she knew he'd left for New Orleans just last month and Sookie was fine, Gran really didn't understand why she was so upset now. The living room light was on so she went to the front of the house to turn it off, leaving the porch light lit for whatever vampire was out in the yard somewhere. As she looked out the window, Thalia made her presence known and they waived at each other. She spied the shopping bag on the couch and grabbed it since she saw something on a hanger and she thought something needed hanging. Her heart stopped when she saw the lingerie. It was white, a short gown, and it was sexy and elegant at the same time. It looked like something a girl would wear…. It was back in the bag right away, since she suddenly felt like she'd invaded Sookie's privacy. Being so close, Gran and Sookie discussed everything so she knew Sookie was a virgin and why. She also knew she was falling for Eric, but hadn't committed to calling it love – but that outfit. She knew something more was happening or about to happen between Sookie and Eric. That's why Sookie was so crushed that he left and her heart broke for her baby girl.

OOOoooOOOooo

Eric was in a foul mood so Pam stayed quiet and concentrated on her driving. He spent most of the trip on his Blackberry, assuring Sookie's safety while he was gone, waking Bobby to have him head down to New Orleans to take care of his day needs, setting up time with Cataliades while he was in town, and sending Sookie texts in between his other tasks to frankly, make himself feel better. "Pam, I don't understand why she was so upset tonight. Don't get me wrong, I'm upset at being separated as well, but her crying was so loud it woke her Gran right before we left."

"I know why and I can't give you too many details, but she had some surprises planned and I'm sure she's just really disappointed."

Now he grew grimmer; he wanted his surprise, he wanted his Sookie. He also wanted to know how the two of them were going to make it through all this vampire crap still together and safe. For the second time since Sookie entered his life, he wondered if vampires could get headaches. His phone rang, it was Andre and he was now sure vampires could get headaches. "Stop by the palace before you head to your home." And that was it; Andre ended the call that bluntly. '_And Sookie thinks I have bad phone manners_'.

"What the fuck Eric, we're barely going to have 20 minutes before we have to leave the palace to make it to your home."

"He's scheming. He probably plans to keep us there for the day. Why, I don't know. I can't let go of the possibility that he's hoping I have Sookie with me."

"You know, I thought you were being paranoid about that." He raised an eyebrow at her. "And at the risk of angering you, I still think you are a bit paranoid, but that request was strange. I'll give the thought that he's scheming and it has to do with Sookie some credit."

"How magnanimous of you Pam." He sneered as she pulled into the palace parking area. The guards ushered them to Andre in the study.

"Northman." Andre started and he walked over and blatantly sniffed Eric. "Where is your …. landscaper?"

With a steeled expression Eric first addressed the sniff. "Have you turned into a bloodhound Andre? Is there some new security that requires vampires be sniffed at entry?"

"Like all survivors, it's important to be aware of your surroundings. ….. So she is not with you?"

"No, why would I bring my landscaper to a meeting of state?" He shook his head at Andre's comments. "What can we do for you Andre? We need to leave shortly to make my house by dawn."

"You can rest here for the day. I wanted to review your report on Archie Hammond before we have our full meeting."

"I appreciate your thoroughness, but my clothing is at my house. I will need to …"

"Pam, you may go to the house and return tonight with something for Eric." She hesitated. "You are dismissed Miss Ravenscroft." Eric nodded and she left.

OOOoooOOOooo

Now settled in his guest room at the palace, he quickly texted Pam.

E: Nothing more than a review of my report. The meeting was unnecessary. He'd obviously read it, there were no details to add.

P: He was fishing.

E: Call Peter, he is assigned to Sookie for the day. Tell him to add more guards, and that Sookie is on lock down at the farmhouse for the day. Do it now before you need to rest. I cannot make that call from the palace.

P: He's going to be curious.

E: Call Alcide and explain EVERYTHING about her and tell him to tell Sookie he knows. He can use his discretion on what guards should be told or not.

P: Understood, see you tonight.

He reviewed the papers he'd brought to discuss with Cataliades. One was an outline of the petition he wanted to file to remove the sentence from Jason in exchange for Sookie's bravery. Removing Jason's sentence would set her free. He hated the thought and at the same time he wanted to win this appeal for her. The other was a contract designating her as his asset, a telepath. Like the appeal, it was only the outline as Cataliades would need to draw up the contract, but he mulled over every detail again and again to prepare for his meeting. Hopefully they would both be able to meet at his home before the sun rose tomorrow morning. He would be much more relaxed if he had Cataliades' opinion on the matter. Just as he felt the pull of dawn, he sent one final text to Sookie. It was simple, only one word: wish.

OOOoooOOOooo

Andre used his down time before dawn by having one of the Queen's pets secured under lock and key; ordering that she be brought food and not permitted to leave until the meetings were concluded. Hadley put up a fuss, but he promptly backhanded her, then glamoured her into submission. He updated the Queen as he got into bed with her for the day. "I had Hadley locked up until these meetings are over my Queen."

"Why would you do that? Not in the sharing mood?" She asked with a bit of amusement. "I don't blame you; that was a wise move in case someone happened to bite her before we could stop them. I'm thinking of having Hadley made a companion and bonding to her to remove all risk of that."

"Bonding would be smart. I think you should find out more about Hadley's family."

"She's only spoken of heartbreak when I ask. I don't want to put Hadley through that."

"Not even if there were more like her?"

"What do you mean?"

"Lay back my Queen, and I'll tell you.

OOOooooOOooo

Sookie woke at about noon and stretched. Remembering her tasks for the day put a smile on her face because she would be so busy moving Dawn's stuff, the day would fly and that would bring Eric back faster. Gran was in the kitchen ready to feed Sookie breakfast. She'd gone all out: biscuits with bacon gravy, eggs, and fruit. Sookie inhaled her plate and went for seconds. "This is wonderful Gran."

"I'm glad you like it baby." Gran was quiet for a moment, trying to determine if talking about last night would hurt or help Sookie. Part of her wanted to get Sookie talking in case she needed to get something out, but in the end Gran decided to keep quiet. For some reason, Sookie was calm now and she didn't want to change that. They both heard a scuffle outside and ran to the porch.

"Let go a'me!"

"Not until you identify yourself."

Sookie took in the scene from the door and ran out. "Alcide, this is my brother."

"He only needed to tell me that so I could call you and confirm."

"What are you doing here anyway?"

Alcide moved closer to Sookie. "Northman ordered extra guards and my guys are all working a construction job this weekend, I was the only person I could spare. I'm here to help Peter."

"What's going on, why more guards?"

"I don't know Sweets, but I'm here and you WILL be protected."

"What about helping Jason?"

Peter walked up and explained that Pam called him. He didn't have the details but Pam and Eric were on high alert about something. Her helping Jason was canceled and she was to stay put in the house. Both Alcide and Peter were familiar enough with Sookie's occasional tantrums that they were NOT shocked at what happened next. "Mother fucking high-handed know it all vampires." She stomped toward the house and continued. "I'll give his narrow ass a piece of my mind when I get him on the fucking phone tonight. Goddamn gilded cage. I hate this SHIT and he KNOWS it. And PAM! I'll smack that fucktard upside her head when they get back. Helping him control me from New Orleans. Assholes, both of them."

Even Gran was laughing as Sookie walked by. She ignored the foul language knowing that Eric had done something to tick her off. It wasn't new and it wouldn't be the last time. She made her way to Alcide. "Alcide, I didn't expect to see you here."

"It wasn't planned. I was called in as an extra guard at the last minute."

"Well, I already fed Peter, would you like to come in for breakfast?"

"I don't think it's safe."

"Peter's out here, and I'm sure there are more." He nodded. "You can eat quickly, we'll be safe from whatever Eric thinks is coming."

"No ma'am, that's not what I meant by safe. I don't think I'd be safe from Sookie."

"Nobody is." They all laughed until Jason broke up the fun.

"Ah, I hate to be a party pooper, but who the fuck are you, why is my sister confined to the house, and Gran, why are you so calm 'bout all this?"

She swatted his head. "Jason, watch your language."

"But Sookie just…"

"Just get in the house for breakfast."

"It's almost lunchtime."

She smacked his head again. "Stop being a smart alec and get in the house."

"Alcide, I'll fix you a plate to eat on the porch."

"Thank you Mrs. Stackhouse."

"We talked about this, you can call me Gran."

"Well, then thank you Gran."

"Sookie, help me get your brother and Alcide fed." She knew Sookie needed something to do to get through the day. Gran had plans to meet with Maxine in a bit, but knowing Sookie was confined to the house, she decided to stay and drag Sookie to the attic to help her clean it out. She figured it was safer for them both to stay in the house all day anyway. Now that Jason was here, she knew there were probably 4 guards on the property at the moment. The guard situation, including a lesson on Weres and shifters had been explained to her by Potts yesterday. She thought it a waste, but Eric hadn't made it a thousand years without being smart. Having seen an unusual sight in her woods the past two nights, she couldn't wait to discuss her vampire guard with Eric. She was sure she was either seeing things, or Elvis was roaming around her farmhouse.

Sookie stomped into the kitchen loudly and started the pan for more eggs. "Sookie, I'd like to clean the attic out today."

"Trying to keep me busy?"

"Yes. You need to calm yourself: you scared your guard. AND, you need to keep that language under control." She waggled a finger at Sookie.

Contrite, Sookie lowered her head and said "Yes Ma'am."

They made quick work of another breakfast and Sookie delivered a plate as promised to Alcide. "Thanks Sweets. Though today I don't know that your name fits."

"Sorry about that."

"No you're not and it's fine. You had plans and something came along and ruined them. You can be pissed."

"Jason can't move Dawn's stuff out."

"That's not true, you wanted to help, but he has his two friends from the road crew helping him. It'll get done." He shifted a bit uncomfortably. "Sookie, I need to tell you about the call I had with Pam very early this morning."

"Oh, so you do know the threat?"

"No, no….I just, she told me… What I mean is, Sookie, I know you're a telepath."

Sookie's eyes went wide in shock. "She told you?"

"Don't get mad, I'm sorry if you're upset that…"

"I don't care that you know I'm just surprised you know from Pam."

"They needed me to be fully aware since I am acting as the liaison to my pack for your guards." She looked panicked. "Not everyone knows; just me and a few of your key guards. Peter, for example. Will you tell me how it works while I eat?"

"Sure." Sookie launched into her story with Alcide. He was quite riveted, and they even tested her ability with him noting that she had to touch him or he had to direct a thought for her to get a consistent read. Once he finished his breakfast, he knew he needed to be more dutiful about his guarding so he rose to leave the porch.

"Thanks for sharing with me Spock."

"Sure Alcide, maybe I'll just call you Fido."

"Har Har."

Entering the kitchen to help Gran clean up from breakfast or rather lunch, she was shooed out. "Go check your phone; I plugged it in near the end table. It was beeping up a storm last night. Oh, and there's a bag in your room, stuff that needs to be hung. I can do it for you if you want."

"Thanks Gran. I won't need it for a few days, so I'll wash it first." She sighed as she spoke.

"Ok baby. Go see what your man sent you."

Gran watched her reading her texts, sure they were from Eric. She'd heard it going off last night and found it in Sookie's purse so she plugged it in to charge. Sookie's expression changed as she read through the messages. She sniffled, she giggled, and right before she sent her own text back, she cried. Gran knew her baby girl was just as in love with Eric as he was with her.

Sookie read text after text. Pam must have driven, or Lord, she hoped Pam had driven while he was sending all these texts.

E: I already miss you

E: I just called Bobby to tell him to get on the road to New Orleans. He was NOT happy. I blamed the last minute trip on you.

E: Having Bobby drive down again even gets better when you realize Pam just sent him to New Orleans for the day today. So today, he's made this trip down, back and now down again.

E: We should talk about Bobby more, you know, so I can learn more about him from your unique perspective

E: Heading into Alexandria and it's only been an hour. Pam is flying behind the wheel, so we'll make it

E: Tell your Gran I said thank you; she'll know why

E: I called Potts about the trip. I asked her to pick you up on Monday at about noon to take you home.

E: Potts said Tina is driving her crazy so she must miss you

E: Pam just glamoured her way out of a ticket. Police officer is now on the lookout for Burnham's car. No, I won't pay the ticket for him; he makes enough money to cover it

E: We just drove into New Orleans. Will try to text you before I rest, but in case work takes all my time, I love you

E: Wish

The last one did her in, even more than the 'I love you'. That one word, THEIR one word broke her and the anger she was carrying around morphed back into sadness. She cried as she texted him back 'wish' as well. Gran came and sat with her arms around Sookie while she cried. When Sookie had calmed, Gran turned to look her in the face, took her hands and asked her. "When are you going to admit to yourself that you love him?"

"I don't think I realized it until last night. I was so disappointed when he left, like there was a hole in my chest. I had a surprise planned. …."

"I know baby girl, I know." She moved to hold Sookie. "I'm happy for you Sookie. I know it's not ideal. I mean, you'll never have Eric's babies, you'll never cook him breakfast – well any meal really. But he loves you, even if you didn't start out perfect. But you know every relationship has compromises, granted daylight is a big one, but you have to decide if the rest of what he is - is what you want and need. I think you've done that, haven't you?"

"I have Gran. There's this thing for vampires. It's called a bond and it's more permanent than marriage since it can't be broken. Eric asked me a while ago to bond, but I've been scared or foolish, I don't know which. Anyway, the bond is creating from exchanging blood three times. We've exchanged once, but I wanted to exchange again last night and commit to the third exchange as soon as we can. I've decided Gran; it's me and Eric forever."

"Have you considered being turned?"

"GRAN! You seem kinda calm about the thought that he would murder me."

"It's not murder, its transformation – like a butterfly."

"You can be full of surprises you know. As for being turned, he hasn't asked yet, but I think I would. Consider it I mean. Not this minute, but before well, before my boobs sag." They giggled together and Sookie felt really good having talked with Gran. The woman was everything to her as a child: Mom, Dad, Gran, friend and confidant. Well, Pam was her confidant too, but Gran had Sookie's history.

Gran surprised her next. "So let's go get that lingerie washed so you'll be all ready for when Eric comes home."

"Gran? You're, you um, those are."

"It's about time you found love, if you want to express it all the way, I say go for it. Your man is gorgeous; you should enjoy ALL of him as much as possible."

"GRAN!"

"Hush, how do you think I wound up pregnant with your Daddy?" Gran said that out loud, but at the same time something strange happened. Sookie heard Gran think '_if she only really knew how I had her Daddy…_'

She said nothing about the comment. For some reason, her Gran's thoughts had never been a problem, never intruding and often rarely heard, but this one struck her as strange. '_I'll tuck that one away for now.'_

"OK, off to the laundry room, then we tackle the attic."

OOOoooOOOooo

As usual, Eric rose well before sunset. He showered and threw on his jeans from the night before while he waited for Pam to arrive with his suit. He desperately wanted to talk to Sookie, but he couldn't risk a call from the Palace so he sent her a quick text instead. His dead heart lurched when he saw her response to his texts. '_That one word." _he started to think_…. 'No, I won't get melancholy now, I'll be home soon and for now, it's best to focus on the meetings_.'

E: I'm staying at the palace. Will talk to you before I rest

He sent that off quickly hoping she would understand what wasn't written then moved to his emails. Alcide had written him an update on the construction at the house and added some tidbits about Sookie's day. He laughed out loud reading the details of Sookie's hissy fit about being stuck in the house. His narrow ass couldn't wait to get a piece of her mind; hopefully she'd be up when he finally got back to his house after the meetings. He'd better warn Pam that she was out for her head as well. He confirmed that Cataliades would meet him at his house when the meetings broke, provided there was at least two hours left of dark. That pleased him; the sooner he resolved her contracts, the better.

Soon enough Pam arrived, he dressed and they went to the conference room for the meeting. They weren't too surprised to see Russell Edgington, the vampire King of Mississippi at the head of the room with Sophie-Anne. A quick glance around the room showed that Stan Davis a Sheriff from Texas and Antonia Perressa a sheriff from Florida were also in attendance. Their states had been named in this Fellowship threat so it made sense that they had representatives participating. Being in the presence of vampire royalty demanded certain protocol and ceremony so they waited patiently for their turn to bow to the monarchs in greeting, Eric refraining from rolling his eyes. It took several minutes for everyone to bow and greet the King and Queen properly but finally the meeting began. Eric was asked to present his findings.

The group waited until he finished delivering his report then asked some questions. He expected most of the questions and answered them with ease.

RUSSELL: "Archie was found as an extension of an attack on you?"

ERIC: "Yes, Archie was found by questioning a drainer that had attacked me. "

STAN: "You were attacked by one drainer, is that drainer still alive?"

ERIC: "No, the drainer that attacked me was working with two other drainers. At this point, all three of them are dead." '_As if ONE drainer would dare to take me'_.

STAN: "How did these drainers perish?"

ERIC: "Two were killed during the attack, the other was kept alive for questioning and he was killed after we learned Archie's name and confirmed the information."_ 'And if you listened to my report, you'd know this'_

ANTONIA: "Archie is alive? Where is he?"

"Yes, Archie was kept alive, and he's been delivered to the palace cells during the day by some Weres."

ANTONIA: "You trust Weres to this work?"

"Yes, I trust the Weres in my area and in fact employ a great many of them. I'm sure you employ Weres as well."

ANTONIA: "I have Weres, but for guarding only, I don't trust them to do reconnaissance or deal with prisoner transfers or investigations. How do you know you can trust these Weres?"

ERIC: "I think we're getting off track with the questions about Weres in my area."

"Agreed." Andre said, ending the questions. "We must focus on our plans." He nodded back to Eric to continue.

"I have information divided by state here." He handed out the information to the state reps in the room. "I suggest you pick up the named Soldiers of the Light leaders in your states, torture and glamour them to see if there are more. We had success today when my Weres broke into Archie's apartment and obtained his laptop. It's being reviewed now. We already have names for follow-up. You may also find computers with each of your contacts."

Sophie-Anne finally spoke. "Eric, I'm sure I speak for everyone in the room. You and Pamela have done an excellent job with this situation. We all have enough to move forward. I propose we eliminate the immediate threat with these representatives in our states; then reconvene to discuss the Fellowship of the Sun in general."

Russell chimed in. "I agree on that plan Sophie-Anne." He paused and turned to Eric. "Thank you Northman; Mississippi is in your debt."

Andre drew the meeting to a close. "Well, Louisiana Sheriffs, you have your work cut out for you in your areas. Mississippi, Texas, Florida, good luck with your hunting."

'_And now for closing protocol_.' Eric thought as he stood up and approached the monarchs. After bowing, he and Pam headed straight for the doors, surprised they weren't stopped by anyone. He didn't care. It was only midnight. If the meeting with Cataliades went quickly, they could make it home by dawn. He would fly if needed.

"Eric." He cringed and turned around. '_So close to getting away_.'

"Yes Andre."

"Please return tomorrow night, I'd like you to review your information with Rasul, he was unable to join us tonight."

"Certainly; at first dark?" Andre nodded and he was out the door.

'_FUCK FUCK FUCK. So close to going home_.'

Sensing her maker's fury, Pam was quiet until they reached the car. Even then Eric shook his head minutely as if to tell her not to talk. Not sure if it was because they were in the palace garage or he was just too angry she held her tongue until they were in the house and even then, Eric announced he had a meeting with Cataliades shortly and he was not to be disturbed. She texted Sookie instead.

P: You up cupcake?

S: Oh, it's my warden. Checking to see if I stayed in the house today leech?

P: I can see your mood is just about as good as Eric's.

S: I was trapped in Gran's house today, all day. Do you want to tell me what's going on?

P: Ask Eric.

S: You bet I will

P: Careful Sookie, he's really grumpy, don't poke the bear

There was no response so she stayed quiet for a moment. Eric's voice was soft, coming from his closed office and up the stairs, but she could still hear it. He must have called her.

"Hi."

"Eric." She answered, a little coolly.

"No cuddle bear?"

She softened immediately but still wanted answers. "No, I think you are more 'non disclosure bear' tonight. Are you going to tell me what's going on? Why the extra security?"

"I will, can we just talk first about, I don't know, your day? What did you and Gran do?"

"Cleaned the attic. She got the best part of this whole mess if you ask me."

He laughed a little at her attitude. "What do you mean?"

"You got me locked away, she got a slave she was trying to keep busy for the day. I was covered in dust."

"Find anything interesting?"

"Spiders, dirt, her wedding dress – in really good shape, some old family photos, the usual for an attic. She did treat me to friends at dinner. Tara and Lala came over. It was nice to catch-up."

He could tell he anger was abating as they spoke. She could yell at him tomorrow, he needed his 'sweet Sookie' tonight. "I'm glad you visited with your friends."

"Yes, they told me some very interesting things."

Uh oh. The end of 'sweet Sookie' was near. "What kinds of things?"

"Like the bill for Lafayette's mother, you know the one I told you about in the nursing home? It's been paid up for the next two years. And Tara, well miraculously, she was given a low interest loan to open her dress shop. A loan she'd been previously denied, by the way. She also received notification that she's been awarded a scholarship for classes at the satellite LSU campus. Isn't that all interesting?"

"Sookie, I"

"Eric, thank you for helping them. Just remember, we talked about not having these things as secrets."

"Yes dear." She giggled and he decided to play with her. "$350.00."

"What?"

"$350.00, that's how much Bobby's ticket was. I told him to speed and get down there as close to dawn as possible so he was doing 95 miles per hour on route 49."

"I hate him but that was nasty."

"Why do you hate him, it's not just how he behaves is it?"

"No, he's mad at me because I get to live with you and I'm trailer trash that just eats pastries all day. Everything else he thinks is pretty much related to those thoughts."

The trust he had with Bobby regarding his resting places or accounts no longer mattered. His only decision now was whether Bobby would be glamoured and fired or out and out killed. He kept those thoughts to himself. The conversation was pretty light and he needed that to calm the beast who wanted to kill the Queen for keeping him away from Sookie. They spoke until Cataliades arrived and he promised to call in about an hour or so with an update on his meetings. "I'll nap, but will wake up when the phone rings."

Pam had greeted the daemon lawyer at the door and escorted him to Eric's office. He rose to greet him. "Desmond, thank you for making the time."

"My pleasure Eric." They both took seats at the conference table. "Can you confirm the purpose of the visit before we start?"

"This is personal legal business, not kingdom business. We may switch to that and I will tell you as needed for the appropriate confidences."

"Very well, until you tell me otherwise, this conversation is attorney client privileged." This was a routine that occurred at every meeting. Eric had no interest in finding another attorney, but he had to be clear when the work was personal versus his Sheriff's role so nothing got back to Sophie-Anne that shouldn't.

Once they cleared the privilege protocols, Eric launched into the discussion about Sookie. He started with what he thought was the easiest task first: the appeal to use Sookie's bravery as a means to end her official incarceration. He noticed the daemon's eyes widen as he described the attack and her part in ending one of the three drainers. "She stabbed him?"

"Yes, directly in the chest. There was no doubt it was a kill move."

"Impressive." The daemon was inwardly cheering for Sookie. "This seems in order, we can make the appeal but I would suggest doing this after the current Soldier of the Light crisis is over."

"That makes sense. Let's talk about my next request then." Eric then pulled his second folder out. "Before we begin, I must reiterate the need for attorney client privilege."

"Certainly Eric. I think it's time you understand something as well, so while you aren't an attorney, I request the same privilege for information that I may be sharing with you."

Eric raised his brows in a bit of surprised, but pledged to keep the meeting content quiet. After all, he was placing a great deal of trust with his lawyer. "This next contract I am considering is for a personal asset, a telepath."

"You want to make Sookie an asset? You don't think the companion registration is enough protection? Have you bonded?"

"You incredibly astute and curious about a vampire's companion. Incidentally, I didn't say Sookie's name, just telepath."

"She's my godchild."

Eric stilled at the words. '_His godchild? How is that possible? Daemons could be godparents? Did Sookie know? What the hell?_'

"I guess I should explain."

"Please."

"I can't disclose everything because Sookie doesn't even know it all, hell she doesn't even know as much as I am about to tell you. As she learns, my guess is you will learn. To her, I'm just a friend of her grandfather's and she calls me Uncle Des, though we only see each other maybe once a year. She does not know that I'm a daemon, or that I'm responsible for her telepathy. My relationship is officially a sponsor if you will, but we just went with the more common human term of godfather for Sookie."

'_I wonder if I can crush some of that Excedrin Sookie uses for headaches and take it with blood? This is just painful._' He literally shook off his shock. "You knew Adele's husband?"

"I knew Sookie's paternal grandfather."

Based on what he heard so far, Adele had participated in an affair. Sookie had no idea so he understood why he wouldn't tell him more. "How are you responsible for the telepathy?"

"It was a gift to Sookie's grandfather for his heirs. Adele drank some of my blood, just a thimble's worth, before she ever conceived a child. To tell you anything further, would again divulge more than I can. I only share this with you now because I know you are good for Sookie, and I'm determined to ensure she is not enslaved by a greedy monarch for her telepathy. Sophie-Anne would treat her fairly while she was locked away, some monarchs would keep her in chains, but you, Eric - you treat her like a Queen."

"Potts, I mean, Cara is your source?"

"Yes. But don't be mad at her, or Godric. Her being in place at your house, knowing me and my being Sookie's Godfather is all coincidence."

"That's a hell of a coincidence. Can I even tell Sookie about this?"

"She doesn't know about her Gran having an affair, which I know you gathered, or that I am the cause of her telepathy. But you can tell her I'm your lawyer and what we have planned."

"Ok, but Sookie and I are in a relationship, I can't keep this from her for long."

"I'll speak with Adele; you can also try that if you want – but please give her some time to come to terms with her affair being 'outed'. Let's get back to the contracts and protection." Eric nodded. "So, we have to come up with a plan to keep Sookie secure with you when we know her telepathy is going to come out." Eric nodded. "She is the real source of all the names from reading your drainers?" He nodded again. "Well, your companion registration is still solid; it's sealed with Sophie-Anne's mark. At this point, Andre and Sophie-Anne don't know Sookie is the human being held for the drainer crime, right?"

"Correct, they don't care about the specifics, just the punishment doled out. There has been no audit of my warehouse security tapes. My punishments haven't been audited in decades; Sophie-Anne knows I take my role seriously."

"Good, we need to keep those things separate for now."

"I defer to your judgment."

"Our biggest problem is curiosity. I've heard Andre talking to Sophie-Anne about your 'landscaper' so he's already curious. Unlike a companion registration that he barely glances at, we can't get an asset contract approved by Andre or the Queen without scrutiny. Once they see the contract, they'll want to meet her. We need time. Can you buy that even while back at the Palace tomorrow night?"

"I can. Why the time?"

"You need to bond to her."

"She hasn't agreed to that yet."

"What? That girl is so stubborn she makes you look compliant." They both chuckled. "Let's meet at your house this weekend. I'll discuss it with her."

"She doesn't do the gang up thing well. We'll call that plan B and hopefully Sophie-Anne releases me tomorrow night so I have time to discuss it with her."

"She will. She'll kick you out well before a 10PM due to a private meeting she already has. For now, we need to keep them in the dark about Sookie as much as possible."

"Understood."

Cataliades stood to leave. "In the interim, I'll prepare the asset papers. Once you've bonded, we can present those to her Majesty."

"She'll be pissed."

"But you'll be bonded."


	25. We have to Choose

**Two quickies, well three:**

**1) I need a beta. I want to enter the I Write the Songs Contest and it must be beta'd. It's a one-shot, 95% done at 12 pages. Please PM me if you can. OR magsburry  
**

**2) A guest (Toni I think) asked me if I was continuing this story - Of Course - it's only been since Sunday ... My goal is 2 maybe three chapters a week.**

**3) Hope you like this one.**

January 26, 2004

'_What happened to first dark? I want to get the fuck out of here and home_.' Eric was in the palace waiting in a meeting room for Rasul. Already an hour had passed and there was no update to the original message about Rasul being held up in court.

He spent the waiting time recalling the talk he had with Sookie just before dawn. He explained the plan for her asset contract, but he kept the request to have her incarceration requirement removed to himself. He didn't want to disappoint her; the results of his request would be squarely in the Queen's hands, not his. She appreciated that he filled her in on the asset contract – even if she hated the thought of an asset contract, but she used the conversation to address his high-handed behavior from the day before. The argument was akin to one they had when Sookie first moved in with him and it only pissed him off that he wasn't home to have it in person. He knew she was mad at him and when she started the conversation, she didn't disappoint.

_"Eric," she had started. "Can we talk about you telling the guards to secure me, you know LOCK me in the house practically, but you couldn't explain anything to me?"_

_"I was at the Palace, the rooms could be bugged."_

_"A text could be bugged?"_

_"The explanation was quite lengthy."_

_"Eric, stop being an ass! You're making excuses."_

_His back stiffened at the comment but he stepped back and thought before responding. "You're right, I am making excuses. I am unaccustomed to explaining myself and I'm sorry you felt left out. This will likely happen again though. I mean security concerns WILL come up and there will be times I need you to just follow orders." She huffed, but he continued. "How about a compromise if that situation comes up again?" _

_"I'm listening."_

_"I can text you that I have given orders about something but that telling you the detail right then was not possible. Will that work? _

_She thought about it for a minute; then agreed. "Will you tell me now since you promised you would earlier tonight?"_

_"I will." …_

He was brought out of his memory by Rasul who had entered the meeting room finally. "Eric."

"Good evening Rasul. Have you read my reports?"

"I have, and I apologize for being late. The Queen needed me for a meeting before this one."

'_Seems someone is trying to keep me here, but why? No matter, I sent Pam home at first dark and Thalia is in place at my house with Sookie until Pam arrives. Flying home will be faster than driving and I need to see Sookie_.' He kept his expression straight and answered. "That's fine; this shouldn't take long as everything really is in the report."

"I agree, but Andre was adamant that we meet in person." He noticed he looked at his watch. Time was on his side. '_Desmond said the Queen needed me out of here by 10PM, and it's almost 9:30. This is her own fault since Rasul was kept in another meeting.'_

"I was surprised you were not in attendance last night."

Rasul took his comment as a question and explained. "I had out of town plans with my companion and was unable to return to the palace in time for the meeting."

He hadn't needed Rasul to explain his lack of attendance, but Eric was intrigued since he was unaware that Rasul had taken a companion. "You've taken a companion?"

"Yes, as you have with Miss Stackhouse." The hairs on the back of Eric's neck rose. "You seem upset, but you should be aware that Andre does not bother himself with certain things as he should: Pet and Companion contracts for example. I process all of those contracts myself; that is the only reason I know her name. Though I am curious about the woman who you deem worthy of being a companion."

He ignored Rasul's curiosity. "So, Andre has no idea if a vampire has taken a companion or not?"

"Not unless it comes up and he cares so little for most humans, it really has no reason to come up. I keep my Cynthia away from the palace. In fact, we live together in a home separate from here."

"Interesting." He motioned to the reports. "Perhaps we should get to work." Rasul had reviewed the reports already and they spoke only for a short while before they ended the meeting. Eric practically ran from the palace, taking to the air as soon as he texted Sookie.

OOOoooOOOooo

Sookie was asleep in Eric's bed when he found her. It had started to rain halfway home and it slowed down his progress. He noticed two white spaghetti straps peeking out from where the blanket ended at her shoulders. Since she normally wore nightshirts, the straps made him curious about the rest of the outfit AND hard. '_Shower first; you're disgusting from the rain_.' Part way through his speed shower, he felt Sookie wake and he finished quickly. '_Towel or sleep pants? Will she freak if I walk out in a towel? But the spaghetti straps, I think she has something planned. Towel_.'

"Hey, sorry I fell asleep." His heart stopped. She'd repositioned to be on top of the blankets and the spaghetti straps were a tease for something that was worthy of every moment of anticipation. He took in her appearance from head to toe. Her golden hair was loose and fanned out against his dark red satin sheets with some of the soft curls resting on her shoulders. As he moved his eyes down, he took a moment to appreciate her outfit: a white open front babydoll in lace and silk with delicate chain embellishments. The chain draped about 4 inches between her breasts and he longed to grab the chain and rip the babydoll apart. He stared at her chest for a moment, enjoying that her more than ample bosom was practically spilling over the cups of the babydoll. Her legs and feet, normally in those ridiculous over-sized socks, were bare. She smiled at him sweetly when he returned his gaze to her face.

He moved to sit next to her on the bed. "Sookie." His voice was almost hoarse. "I missed you."

"I missed you. I have something to tell you."

He smiled, hopeful about what she had to say. "Well, tell me."

"I wanted to have this conversation on Saturday." She took a deep breath then shared her desire. "Eric, I want to bond." He smiled widely. "And I was ready to tell you that on Saturday, but honestly it wasn't until you left that I realized something else." She grabbed his hands and looked him in the eye. "Eric, I love you."

He leaned into her to plant a searing kiss. "You've made me so happy." He told her and he meant it. His heart was ready to burst.

They continued to kiss for a few minutes until Sookie pulled back. "Eric?

"Yes Sookie."

"Take off the towel."

"Sookie, what are you saying?"

"I want to exchange while we make love Eric, all the way." He smiled widely and did as she asked, but as soon as he moved to lay with her he stopped. "Sookie, we need to choose."

"Choose?"

"I want to exchange AND make love, but since it's your first time, taking my blood would just heal you and we'd need to deflower you again."

"Oh. So, if we had sex tonight, can we exchange tomorrow?

"You can call Ludwig tomorrow to be sure." He answered quickly and leaned into her. "So you're leaning towards making love." He was growing excited at that choice; the evidence of his excitement was rising.

She nodded and explained. "I've been antsy since you left Gran's on Saturday." He started playing with the straps of her babydoll nightgown as she spoke. "I've been anxious for you to come home." He pulled the straps down and exposed her breasts. "I've been burning for you, Eric." He put his mouth on one breast and suckled while pinching the other as he stared into Sookie's eyes. "Eric. I'm yours, make me yours."

Eric couldn't believe this was all finally happening, not just the sex but the agreement to the bond and her admittance of love. Truthfully he'd already felt her love through the bond but he let her to figure it out for herself (he also couldn't claim to be the world's expert on love, so he didn't want to fall flat on his face if he was wrong).

Now was the time to move forward. The first step: clothing removal. Starting at the bottom of the split babydoll bodice, he pulled up to remove the garment, leaving Sookie in her panties. When she was sick and he'd helped her, he had the opportunity to see her whole body but he refrained. Not this time, she was his and ready to be laid bare for him. Moving slowly and with great tenderness, he moved his hand down her body caressing along the way to her panties. Goose bumps appeared on her skin and he spent time touching them or blowing over her to see more of the cute bumps form. Before he had reached them, her nipples were already engorged from his earlier attention so he could not resist spending a moment with each one, sucking and then blowing to watch them pull up even more. He continued down her torso flicking his tongue into her belly button causing her to laugh. When he reached his target, he hooked his thumbs hooked into the lace of her panties to pull them down. He placed kisses down her legs as he completed his task. Now they were both ready for more. "Sookie, have you even seen a naked man?"

"Not in person." She said and blushed.

"You want me to claim you, and I tell you to claim me. My body is yours to explore, to touch" he took her hand and placed it on his chest, "and to love." He rested on his back to give her full access.

Her fingers trembled a little as she touched him softly on the chest. She'd already seen and felt his chest; what she really wanted was to explore further down, so she did. The v-cut of his abdomen fascinated her; she traced it with her hands and bent to place soft kisses along the lines. Eric was moaning from her exploration. She truly had no idea that just her curiosity was making him even harder. Her soft lips kissing him, sometimes leaving little licks and her hair tickling as she made her way down were driving him crazy. After her attention to the V, she was face to face with his penis and she smiled nervously at Eric. "This still scares me."

"I know, I promise to be gentle. We can still wait if you want" he proposed, feeling like the pansy he'd become.

"Oh, we aren't stopping. I think I'll burst if we do."

"I know that feeling, you know, about to burst." His comment made her laugh and it helped with her nervousness. She continued to explore and she kissed and licked the tip and Eric hissed. "Fuck Sookie, you're mouth is almost too much right now." She really was exciting him so much he feared he would cum on the spot. The anticipation of having Sookie had been building in him for a while now. That, combined with celibacy was a dangerous hit to his stamina. He decided to think about his paperwork to distract himself. His distraction plan only lasted a moment before she asked if she could taste him.

Of course he nodded yes and then hissed when she took him in her mouth. Being a telepath had its advantages. She'd seen blow jobs in many minds over the years, so she decided to employ some of the techniques she'd seen and combine them with the tips from her best friend Pam. While she moved his cock down as far as she could, she toyed with his sack and he growled. Smiling while sucking cock didn't work well, but she couldn't help it; she liked when he growled like that. She also liked the taste of Eric which surprised her since she'd heard many women complain of the taste in their thoughts. According to those women, sucking a cock was gross; not to Sookie. In fact, the act was making her lady bits ache in anticipation. After a few head bobs, Eric placed his hand gently on her head. Getting blown by Sookie certainly hadn't been his plan – and he had planned his first time with Sookie many times in his head – he wanted her first night to be all about her. However, vampires had excellent recovery time so he knew if he came now, it would actually remove some of his anxiousness and allow him to be gentler. He could smell her arousal so he knew she was enjoying this, likely due to the empowered feeling of pleasing him, and she WAS pleasing him thoroughly. As his arousal grew, he moved his hand from her head to clutch the sheets, not wanting to pull her hair too hard or push her too far accidentally.

Sookie's curiousness about his reaction caused her to look up at Eric frequently. Her likely innocent action only increased Eric's pleasure as he enjoyed eye contact, but hadn't wanted to ask for it since he believed she would be too shy. To encourage this behavior, he praised her when her eyes met his for a more than a quick glance.

After a few minutes, he was ready to go and he instructed her. "Sookie, you feel so good, go faster and I can cum." As requested, she sped up and pulled on his sack. Not wanting to overwhelm her, he shouted out a warning. "Sookie, I'm going to cum." She tugged harder on his sack while sucking and he exploded in her mouth. The amount of sperm he produced surprised her and she had trouble keeping up. Eric was able to reach the towel he dropped onto the floor and helped her clean up. Moving so quickly she didn't even see it, Sookie was on her back under a very happy Eric. "That was fantastic Sookie."

"Is it a problem that you already came?" He took her hand and pulled it to his already hardening cock. "Oh, I guess not."

"Not at all. Now, I want you to lay back and enjoy. This is when you need to be selfish like we discussed Sookie. This is all about you. I'm going to make love to you first with my hands and tongue until your legs feel like jelly and you are out of your mind from cumming." Sookie gasped at his statement and she felt the wetness between her legs increase. Eric noticed her reaction as well and smirked. He started with soft kisses on her forehead and covered her entire front before easing her over and doing the same to her back. The temptation to simply take her needed to be beaten down as his desire to be gentle warred with his internal beast. He just couldn't get enough of her and by the time he'd flipped her, he'd begun alternating between soft kisses, nips, open mouth kisses and licking so he could taste her. "Gods Sookie, everything about you tastes good."

Sookie was trying to hang on to her mind while she was enjoying the sensations from his mouth. He stopped for a second to bite her ass with his blunt teeth and explained that he'd been waiting to do that for weeks. She responded with giggles. "I'll bite you there for real sometime."

"Tease."

"Oh, there will be plenty of teasing Sookie, but now I have to get back to work. I missed a few spots that haven't been kissed."

"Yes, I noticed you missed some areas in particular."

When he finished his attentions to her back, he gently flipped her again and positioned himself by kneeling at her side. The trademark eyebrow rose and he asked, "You mentioned some missed spots? " She nodded. "Are you going to tell me where?" She bit her lip and blushed, the boldness she had when she was facing away from him gone. '_We'll work on that confidence_' he thought. "Did I miss here?" He bent to kiss her left breast.

"Yes, and its mate." She said, so he rectified that immediately by kissing the right one as well, using his tongue to whisper a lick over the nipple.

"Did I miss here?" He asked as he was poised over her mons.

"You did miss there. It feels neglected."

"No more. No part of you will ever be neglected." He told her as he bent her legs and went to move her knees apart. He felt a twinge of resistance so he continued very gently. "I know you will enjoy this Min älskade." He looked at her. "Trust me." With that, she acquiesced with her legs falling to the side and he moved between them. "You are perfect Sookie." He spoke softly but with reverence. Sookie looked down at Eric while he gazed at her sex. Being embarrassed didn't occur to her given the look of awe on his face; rather she felt heady from his silent praise. He seemed stoned for a moment before he placed more kisses and nips over the entire area first. Now Eric knew perfection, and it was Sookie. He looked up to see her looking at him panting with need, the blush from her face had expanded to her chest, dappling his favorite place in the world with a pink hue. Her nipples stood dark red waiting for attention; and he longed to suck on them. Right now though, he wanted to explore her sex fully; watch as her arousal grew and see her clitoris darken just as her nipples did when it filled with blood. With his own excitement building, he parted her folds and saw just how ready Sookie was. Her juices were flowing while she was wiggling in his hands - and the scent! Vampires didn't need to breathe, but they could inhale just the same and he took several deep draws to capture Sookie's perfume. After inhaling, he exhaled, blowing cool air over her wet exposed folds. Just that blowing on the area caused Sookie to gasp since she felt like she was on fire waiting for his touch. Seeing images in other's heads had certainly shown her the mechanics of all this – but feeling it? He hadn't even touched her and she was ready to explode. Then he licked and her eyes rolled back into her head. "Sookie, I will live my nights between your thighs from now on. There is no sweeter taste in the world than this. My Gods, you are a gift." Lost in the sensations, Sookie only barely noticed Eric's words, but understood that he was happy with her. At the moment that's all she could process because he was making her feel things she never thought possible. Sure, she had touched some of these areas herself over the years but it NEVER felt this good. Her hips started bucking a bit when he paid more attention to her nub and he needed to move one arm to band over her and hold her down. She didn't care and in fact, added her own hand to hold onto Eric's head. She wasn't letting him out of that area for a good long time if she had her way. Eric had no intention of leaving so her hand was welcome to hold him down. Giving oral sex to the right partner, not the whore fangbangers, was always something Eric enjoyed, but with Sookie her taste made this a whole new experience. Her moans and bucking informed her just how much she was enjoying his attentions and he reveled in it. His woman would never be neglected.

Sookie was sensing everything; the heat from her body in contrast to his cold, the scrape from the very slight stubble on his chin as he worked his jaw up from her entrance to her clit, and the feel of her own hand that had started kneading one of her breasts. He loved the entire area with his tongue, lips and teeth, basking in her mewls and whimpers and pulling back a bit just before he thought she was about to go over the edge. When Eric brought her to the edge for the third time then backed down, she actually stomped her foot and he chuckled. "Eric, please. More." The begging was music to his ears but he kept his maddening pace for another few minutes and added a finger to her very tight hole. Realizing he really needed to stretch her in preparation, the removed his mouth and concentrated on adding another finger and scissoring as much as possible, all while staring intently at Sookie. That she was toying with her own nipple was enough for him to lose control and he knew then that if he ever convinced her to masturbate in from of him, he would cum from the sight alone. He watched as her face morphed from pleasure to anticipation to oh so close then he backed down again and he saw anger. Growing frustrated Sookie looked him in the eye and demanded now. "ERIC you finish what you started, I'm going to burn up if you don't!"

"Yes dear." In his mind, he was working to time things perfectly. She would be most relaxed right after an orgasm so he added his tongue back and prepared himself to take advantage of her orgasm by entering her right after she recovered. As he worked her, Sookie was holding her breaths and clenching her stomach in anticipation of her orgasm and it only enhanced the feeling. She had been so close before and now that he added his tongue again, it only took seconds before she came. Eric noted all of her reactions, eager to learn how to please her best. Sookie felt almost blind for a moment while she rode out the feeling of the orgasm that occurred when Eric took her bundle of nerves into his mouth and sucked. The liquid that left her body and was eagerly consumed by Eric while he gently petted her folds through her spasms. Once she recovered, he was over her in a second, his cock at her entrance. Not knowing if she would like the taste of herself on his kisses, he used his towel to clean up a bit and leaned over to kiss her. "My Sookie." He held her gaze. "I love you forever."

"I love you too." Sookie knew it was time, but she didn't feel panic or worry, she felt cared for and loved and she trusted this man with her heart and now her body. She whispered to him, "I'm ready."

Their love confirmed he started to enter her while using words to distract her. "You are so beautiful, you are mine and I am yours." When he reached her barrier he pushed. Sookie flinched and some tears fell from her eyes. Leaning down so he could reach her face, he licked and kissed her tears away while reminding her that he loved her. Sookie had felt a pinch, just as Pam had described and it did sting. She was thankful that Eric stopped to give her a moment. His words only caused more of a crying reaction and she pulled his shoulders down to her body so she could feel even more connected. "Sookie, does it hurt that badly?" He started to pull back in fear.

She held tight and whispered through her tears. "Don't pull back, I just need a minute." He stilled himself again and gave her that minute. The timing was difficult; he was trembling to maintain control while she adjusted to his size and waited for the burn to lessen. Feeling his struggle to maintain his stillness, she drew in a deep breath, placed a quick kiss on his chest where her lips were; wrapped her legs around him and nudged him against his ass to move again. Eric needed no further invitation to proceed. She loosened her hold on his arms, allowing him to rise up from her again while he was moving and she noted the look on his face. A combination of lust, pleasure and a bit of concern from his furrowed brow were how she described it to herself. She smiled and reached up to kiss him, trying to assure him without words that she was OK. Sookie felt he was still holding back so she urged him. "I'm fine Eric. Love me, please."

Eric had been holding back, and even though he now sped his movements, he continued to restrain himself a bit. The fact that he had caused the tears almost had him pulling out and dealing with his situation on his own so she could just rest. Her urging him to move was actually bravery on her part and it only caused him to love her more. He continued to kiss and praise her as he slid his length in and out. After a few strokes, he was feeling lust and arousal again from her and he was taken by surprise. She was TINY, and he felt she would most certainly need time to recover before she could thoroughly enjoy the experience. Encouraged by what he felt from her, he moved a hand to play with her clit while he continued his movements. '_Gods she's tight_.' He thought as he thanked Odin, Sookie's Jesus and any other deity he could think of for her. He was amazed that she could take all of him and felt that she was truly meant to be his, because not even some taller or otherwise larger women could accommodate his full length. The feel of her shaft gripping around him, the softness of her body under his, and the adorable noises she made were testing his endurance. "Sookie, can you cum?" He asked, while assessing her feelings. He thought she was close because he was starting to hold her breath again and he was sure she didn't even realize she did that. She only nodded slightly, almost completely lost to the sensations. He sped up his rubbing on her nub and curled himself to suckle on her breast. Now he felt she was very near so he moved up to her neck and bit. THAT did it and she was over the edge crying out. She convulsed around him and he exploded, yelling out her name and several words Sookie didn't understand.

Almost immediately after collapsing on her, he went to move off to the side, but she held him tightly above her, she was crying again and he hated it. "Sookie, what is it?" He asked as he moved his head up to look at her. The only thing she could do was shake her head no to indicate she couldn't speak, so he held her through her tears. When he thought about it, the last few days had been a whirlwind for her: risking herself by sharing her telepathy, killing someone, helping to uncover a drainer ring courtesy of the Fellowship of the Sun, being separated due to his meetings in New Orleans, having added security without being told why, deciding to bond and finally, losing her virginity to a man who originally had hurt her, fed from her while she was unwilling, and took her as captive. '_Fuck, if I was still human, I might be crying too._' Still, he felt like he could be crushing her so he reversed them carefully and finally moved into a position where she was on his lap. He noted she had bled a little, but he didn't dare try to heal it, knowing her barrier could completely heal and return. He cursed himself for not asking Ludwig about this very thing before tonight.

After a while she finally calmed. "Sookie, these past days have been very difficult, I'm sorry you are feeling overwhelmed."

"I am a bit overwhelmed, but that doesn't mean you need to be sorry. The ending of these past few days has been wonderful. While I need a break for a bit, 'cause I'm sore, I love what we just did and can't wait until I feel up to doing it again. I guess I just hope you want to as well. What I mean is, was I alright? Did you enjoy yourself?"

"Sookie, I've never experienced a connection like that. I assure you, you were more than alright. I can't wait to experience more with you, when you're ready, and I can't wait for us to explore what we each want and like the best. I love you Sookie, there will never be another for me."

"OK." She said quietly.

"OK? What has you feeling, I'm not sure what that is, hesitant?"

"It might not be an appropriate topic."

He was confused. "How could anything be inappropriate between us now? Tell me."

"Eric, do you um, do you, what I mean is, what happens when I get older? You said I love you forever – what forever do you mean?"

"Are you asking if I want to turn you?" She nodded. "I want nothing more than to make you my eternal companion, but only if you're willing and ready. We have plenty of time." She smiled and he was surprised considering she had referred to his turning Pam as murder. He decided to ask. "I must admit your smile surprises me. You told me I murdered Pam."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. Gran had a really good perspective; she said it's not murder, but transformation, like a butterfly."

"Your family's tolerance for - well anything, continues to surprise me. Does this mean you want to be turned?"

"When we first met, it would have been a no. Now I'll tell you I'm considering it. But I still want to enjoy the sun and pastries for now."

"I understand but I do need to know. What if you were injured and I couldn't heal you, it was being turned or die?"

Her eyes widened in fear over the thought. "Do you think that's a possibility? Am I in that much danger?"

"Sookie, even a drive off the property can be dangerous."

"Oh, yeah, um, I guess given where I am leaning, you can turn me. We'll call it life insurance, or maybe it's death insurance."

His smile grew brighter and he kissed her. It was a kiss meant to share his joy at her words, but it soon grew heated. Remembering that she needed time before he took her again, he backed down quickly and suggested they go upstairs so Sookie could eat. "Let me get you cleaned up first." He walked into the bathroom to wet a washcloth with warm water and returned to tend to her.

Sookie was surprised to see the blood. "Wow, it didn't seem like it hurt enough to cause that."

"It's not as much blood as it seems Min älskade."

"You've called me that before, what does it mean?"

"My beloved, my love. It's a term to show my love for you."

"Oh, I like that much better than Lover."

"As you wish Min älskade." He said as he kissed her nose and her stomach growled. "It seems I have to replenish your fuel now."

Sookie's struggles to walk on her own were in vain. Eric simply said he wanted to keep his hands on her and she couldn't deny him. In fact, she felt so wonderful, loved and cherished; she probably wouldn't deny him anything at this point. He pampered her by sitting her at the kitchen counter then he found some of the leftovers from Gran's to heat for her. While she ate, he addressed a few items that popped into his email. "Sookie, I sent an email to Ludwig to ask her about your healing and when we can safely exchange blood. I should have an answer before I rise tonight."

"Ok. How long do we need to wait to complete the bond?"

"We can do it one exchange right after the other. Though, for the third exchange, we may want to plan for it, make it special."

"Like what?"

"We can go away for a day or two. Would you want to do that?"

"Really?"

"Yes, just us time. I'll forward my emails and calls to Pam. I need to check with her, but I think we can make arrangements for this coming weekend. We can leave on Saturday after Fangtasia closes and return in time for me to be back to work late on Tuesday. I'll pick somewhere close, so we don't spend too much time on travel."

"That sounds good. Yeah, that sounds really good." She nodded her head to match her verbal reply. "Eric?"

"Yes min älskade?"

"Are you going to explain the changes in your chamber?"

"Why don't we do that while we enjoy the stars?"

She eagerly said yes and grabbed the blanket. While they rocked and enjoyed the stars, he explained the kitchen area he had added to his chamber for her. She thought it was a bit over the top, since now she had three kitchens at her disposal on the property. He disagreed. "I don't want you losing any luscious curves because there is no kitchen downstairs and I want you to feel that you can stay with me whenever you want. Besides, it's already installed so you should just enjoy it." She responded by sticking out her tongue and he just laughed at her.

"Sookie, I have news for you."

"OK."

"I met with my lawyer while in New Orleans, as it turns out, you know him."

"Uncle Des?"

"Yes. How did you know?"

"I only know two lawyers. I didn't think Sid Matt Lancaster from Bon Temps is your lawyer."

"Fair enough. Let me tell what we have planned for you."

"He wanted us to bond, believing it offers the most protection with your registration as a companion. Once we bond, we are also going to register you as a personal asset." She scowled. "DON'T make that face. This is me trying to protect you." She relaxed her scowl. "Better. We will then take you to meet the Queen. Your Uncle Des is squarely on our side, I feel better about all of this than ever before."

"Good."

They glided for a few minutes just enjoying each other. Sookie's mind wandered; she was curious about something else, but wasn't sure how to ask the question. Eric called her on it. "I can feel your curiosity. Ask."

"You drink blood." He nodded. "Well, you also, um licked and I guess swallowed, um other stuff?"

"You delicious cum you mean?" He got the blush he expected. "Blood is necessary for our magic to animate us, but other bodily fluids and even tiny bits of water can be swallowed. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes, let's move onto less embarrassing topics."

They talked about Sookie's weekend at her Gran's, the bulbs that Sookie had started planting, and the meetings Eric attended. The discussion about the meetings started some planning for the next few days since he had much to do to eliminate the Soldiers of the Light threat in Area 5. Thankfully, he was ahead of all the other Sheriffs since he'd captured the leader of the organization in his area already. Sookie agreed to help him by using her mind reading techniques and he was pleased. When she started to yawn, Eric knew it was time to head in. He'd exhausted his little one, and even though he was loathe to think about it, he did have work to complete before he rested.

Sookie was actually asleep before he made it to his bed, so he took her out of her robe and tucked her in. Not wanting to be far away from her, he retrieved his laptop and Blackberry and set-up to work in bed. Like a cold seeking missile, she nudged her way over to be up against him as he worked, but she never fully woke. He was happy for the closeness and snuck kisses to her head or caresses to her back in between emails. As his body felt the call to rest, he packed up his work gear, returned to bed and curled himself around Sookie for the day. His last words were a whisper to Sookie, "I love you min älskade. Sweet dreams."


	26. We're a Team

**Hi all: **

**I'm busy trying to finish the year out with my Girl Scout troop (With a potty mouth like yours - Mags? You have a Girl Scout Troop? I DO and I keep the cursing out of the meetings). Anyway - as a result, I'm not done chapter 38 - but's it taking a really LOOONG time so I decided not to withhold your chapter as a result. We might pay for it later if I don't get my butt in gear - but here goes:**

**~Mags**

January 27, 2004

"Murdered? Are you sure Gran?"

"Yes, Maxine heard it at Merlotte's. Maudette was strangled and she had fang marks on her."

"I can't believe it, Maudette Pickins, murdered."

"Oh, and the Rattrays are missing."

"Lord, Bon Temps has a lot of excitement right now."

"Bud sure is busy at the Sheriff's station."

"So do they think a vampire killed Maudette? Was she drained?"

"I tried to explain to Bud when I spoke to him that it wasn't a vampire. I know damn well if it was, they wouldn't have left her there – and full of blood.

"Yeah, that'd be like wasting food." They both chuckled.

"Oh, we're bad, a woman is dead and we're making jokes."

"Keep me informed Gran, I need to go, Eric will be awake soon, and I need to get ready for a doctor's visit with Ludwig."

"Ok baby girl, I love you."

"Love you too."

After taking a quick shower, Sookie snuggled back into bed with Eric just in time for him to wake.

"Good evening min älskade."

She smiled wide. "Good evening yourself." She moved her head up for what she intended to be a quick kiss, but Eric tried to extend it. "Sorry Eric, we have company coming."

"Company? Is that why you already showered?"

"Yes, it's Ludwig. She called to tell me she's coming for a quick check up rather than trying to guess at my healing."

He tried to reposition her for another kiss and waggled his eyebrows. "How long til she's here?"

Sookie groaned. "Don't get me all excited, she's gonna do an exam." He looked at her blankly. "An exam down there and I don't want to appear all . . . happy."

"Sookie, I'm pretty sure none of this would be new to her."

"That may be true, but it's new to me."

"I'll clean you all up, I promise." He said and he begged. "Please?" She knew he had her when she could feel a gush of moisture at becoming all 'happy'.

He knew it too and she was on her back while Eric dove between her thighs. "I told you I would live my nights between your thighs, I'm just backing up my statements." She groaned as he got to work and while he kept his attentions to the outside of her sex, she still had no problem cumming quickly. As promised, he cleaned her all up, just not how she expected. When he finished he smirked while he licked his lips. "I told you I would clean you up."

"You're bad." She admonished him, but giggled at the same time.

"And you love it." He bent over her to kiss her again. "Now I must shower."

"Hurry, Doctor Ludwig will be here shortly. I'm getting dressed.

OOOoooOOOooo

"Well girly, I think you are good to go on a blood exchange and sex tonight if you want." Doctor Ludwig confirmed after her exam. Sookie turned red from the comments.

Sookie had Doctor Ludwig perform the exam in her bedroom, and she told Eric to give her some privacy. She was really not ready for him to be there for THAT. Instead of nagging her to participate, he realized if they wanted any time together, he would need to get work done so it was for the best.

Since Ludwig knew about the telepathy, Sookie took the opportunity to tell her she had shared her secret with Pam and Eric. "I'm glad Sookie. Since you and Eric have decided to bond, I take it the news went well?"

"It did, not at all like I thought it would."

"What about the headaches?"

"They're still a problem if I go around too many people, or hell, even just one annoying broadcaster."

"Broadcaster?"

"A person who even thinks loud."

Ludwig laughed. "I didn't know people think with different volumes." She turned a bit serious. "Out of curiosity, what do you hear from me?"

"You, nothing, well not really, more like a buzz." Sookie turned the tables. "Out of curiosity, what are you?"

"I'm an elf."

"Thank you for sharing that, Doctor Ludwig."

"Sookie, can we try something?" Sookie nodded. Ludwig thought to Sookie '_can you hear me thinking to you_?'

"I CAN! That's interesting." Now it was Sookie who turned serious. "You know my telepathy is really still a secret, right?"

"Of course girly. You have my confidentiality as my patient and as a friend. What's the giant got planned to keep you safe? I mean, beyond bonding."

"He's working with his lawyer on an asset contract." She said with a bit of disdain for the terminology. "Oh, and this is a funny coincidence, his lawyer is a friend of my family's."

'_BINGO_!' She thought – '_the source of the daemon blood is Cataliades_!' "Desmond Cataliades?"

"Yet, that's my Uncle Des, not by blood relation though."

"Interesting. I know him."

"Huh, I guess the SUPE community is small."

"It can seem that way. Now, we best get you dressed and back to your vampire before he barges in wondering what's taking so long."

"Sure, thanks for coming out Doctor."

"Anything for my favorite patient, Sookie."

They met with Eric in his office with Sookie on Eric's lap as Doctor Ludwig delivered her news. Since she could see the couple didn't want to part, she showed herself out. '_I'm not even sure if they know I'm gone. Seeing the Viking like this is too funny. I have to call Desi to discuss Sookie_.'

"How much more work do you need to do?" Sookie asked once they were alone.

"I need to get to the warehouse since some new Soldiers of the Light have been captured, and I still have Steven's punishment to continue."

"Steven? I thought you killed him days ago?"

"I decided to ensure his punishment was a lesson to as many vampires as possible, so I extended my torture time. He will meet his final death tonight."

"OK. When are we leaving for the warehouse?"

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"We talked about this. We are team, right?"

He smiled widely. "Yes Sookie, we are."

"Then I'm going."

OOOoooOOOooo

A few hours later, Sookie had gotten all the information she could from the new men that had been rounded up by Eric's employees. All were guilty of bribing or threatening humans linked to vampires and some had gone the next step and started stalking and draining. The vampires that had been drained were not even reported as missing yet, so Sookie suggested some kind of mandatory check-in with Eric on a regular basis. Seeing that was an excellent idea, he called Indira to handle it for the area, but surprised Sookie by putting her on the phone to describe the idea and why it had come about. She was shocked at the trust he showed her by doing that, and kissed him as a thank you as soon as she ended the call. "You said it before, we're a team. For those closest to me, we can be up front about that."

"Eric, what about the people who were threatened or bribed? We have their names."

"We have their names, thanks to you, and we can have them brought in for Indira to glamour. Good follow-up my strategist." He kissed her again before he asked about the rest of their night. "Now, I need to finish up at Fangtasia, do you want to go home or come with me? Since I have Steven's punishment to deal with I'll need you to stay in the office tonight. That can put the vampires on edge."

"I can do homework at Fangtasia. I won't be bored in your office."

They arrived at Fangtasia a few moments later. Sookie reminded Eric that she sometimes has human needs and he can't just leave her alone in the office for too long at one time. "Yes dear." He replied as he left the office and she giggled. He made a pit stop in the bar area to find a trusted vampire. "Thalia."

"Master."

"Sookie is in my office and Pam and I will be unavailable for a while. Can you visit her every 30 minutes to see if she needs anything? She cannot roam Fangtasia tonight without an escort."

"It will be my pleasure Master." He smirked because he knew that while she would make it look like 'work' for him, Thalia would take the opportunity to visit with Sookie. Something he and Pam found especially funny since Thalia hated everyone except Sookie.

With that he was off to the basement to instruct Pam on what he wanted done with Steven. He had a secret errand to run in Bon Temps.

OOOoooOOOooo

He landed in Bon Temps outside the farmhouse and approached Adele, already waiting on the porch for him. "Adele, thank you for meeting with me."

"My pleasure Eric." She was pretty sure she knew what this was about, but she kept her mouth shut, wanting to hear it from Eric, and well, if it was what she thought, she wanted to make him sweat. At least in theory since vampires don't sweat. She simply looked up at him expectantly.

He was also aware that Adele probably had some idea why he had made a secret appointment with her, so he pressed on. "Adele, it would be easy to say I'm here to ask for Sookie's hand in a human marriage, but we both know that the US does not permit that official union at this time. I would like to explain to you a vampire marriage, called a pledge and then I hope to obtain your blessing."

Yep, Adele had guessed correctly – for the most part – since she was only familiar with the human tradition of marriage. Eric was not a man that asked for anything, and she could tell he was . . . perhaps the word was uneasy at the conversation. "Eric, won't you sit?" She asked, pointing to the other side of the porch swing.

Turning to face her he continued. "For vampires, we have a way of tying ourselves to other vampires or humans; it's called a bond. It's actually permanent; meaning, unlike a divorce you cannot end the bond. I have asked Sookie about bonding and she has agreed. We have not completed this bond yet, but I hope to in the next few days. The next step that some vampires take is the pledge that I just mentioned. It's the closest to a human marriage. No – actually for vampires, this is a marriage. Sookie would be my wife and I would be her husband. It's just the human authorities won't recognize it."

'_Time to make him sweat'_ she thought as she chuckled to herself. "I appreciate your visit and request to bless your pledge, but the bond seems significant. Why did you not ask me first about that?"

"Well, we are all operating out of the norm here and I apologize. My intention was to ascertain Sookie's feelings about something so permanent before moving forward at all."

"If Sookie's grandfather was here, he would ask if there is a ring involved."

She specifically said Sookie's grandfather, not Sookie's father and not her husband. Fairy. Fairies would require that a marriage suitor be of means and an 'engagement ring' would need to pass scrutiny. He wanted to know more, but not tonight, he would not push. "I have purchased a ring to signify our bond and will use it as an engagement ring of sorts when I ask Sookie about pledging with me."

He pulled it out of his pocket and Adele studied it carefully. Sookie's grandfather, Fintan would be proud that she followed his traditions and inspected the ring. "Tell me about this ring."

"This ring is platinum and 18k gold. The main jewel is a square antique modified brilliant Tiffany Yellow Diamond, carat weight 2.75; round brilliant white diamonds, carat total weight .20" Adele continued to examine the ring and he grew nervous. The stone really was not that large, but he was concerned that Sookie would not want a larger stone. He continued explaining his jewelry plans. "I purchased matching earrings as a pledge gift to complete the set."

Adele could see he was nervous. She truly thought the ring was beautiful and would suit Sookie well. It wasn't her intention to make him think it didn't measure up. Still, she was enjoying this visit and decided to push him. "Tell me about the earrings."

The earrings are also from Tiffany & Co. and are three white Radiant square antique modified brilliant white diamonds and one brilliant Tiffany Legacy® yellow diamonds in a suspended setting. They are set in platinum and 18k gold. The carat weight for the yellow diamonds is 3.1; and for the white diamonds is 3.54."

She nodded, satisfied with his purchases. While he returned the ring to his pocket, she asked him some further questions. "You mention intentions, what are your intentions here, what does it mean to YOU to be blood bonded and pledged?"

Sneaky woman, he never referred to it as blood bonding, she knew something already. "I love your granddaughter and if I could marry her under human traditions, I would." She smiled at him, pleased by the answer, but he shifted a bit in his seat. "There is more. I want to be honest with you. Sookie's telepathy puts her at risk from other vampires." He waited a moment while she absorbed that, but he was not aware that from Desi, she already knew the risk to Sookie. It was why Desi had called her to help encourage Sookie to bond with Eric after he had his own meeting with Eric in New Orleans just a few days ago. "I know Sookie doesn't like the language, but bonding to her will provide me with the ability to own her and keep her from other vampires who would capture her and keep her as a slave." When he saw no horror or fear on her face he put the pieces together. "But you know all this already from Desmond I guess?"

"Indeed I did."

"You've just been enjoying my discomfort?"

She snickered. "A little. He called me after you met in New Orleans. I was put on plan to guide Sookie to the bond, but she'd already decided. In fact, that's why she was so devastated when you left for New Orleans."

"She told me."

"I guess she also made up for lost time? We washed some very pretty lingerie. I certainly hope you were attentive to her; she was innocent."

Now he was speechless, he couldn't believe she was really talking about . . . no, he was not having this discussion with Adele. She chuckled at him now. "Eric, I never knew you could look like you swallowed your tongue before." She patted his shoulder. "I know I held a grudge for a while, but you're family now. Sookie loves you and I don't think there's anyone better for her than you. You have my blessing for the bond and the pledge. Maybe someday you'll even call me Gran." She stood to head into the house. "But I won't push you tonight since the topic of having sex with my granddaughter has made you speechless. Go back to my baby girl now." She moved to hug him and he complied.

He launched himself back into the air to return to Fangtasia. Still shocked at the conversation – but unsure what was the most shocking: The fact that Sookie had fairy in her and that Gran knew about the sex? This family never ceased to surprise him.

OOOoooOOOooo

Shortly after Thalia's second visit, Sookie was surprised by a knock on the door to Eric's office. She thought it was the diminutive vampire again and simply told the visitor to enter. "Is it that boring out there Thalia?" When she looked up to hear Thalia's answer, she was taken aback to see a ruffled looking man with a large briefcase and laptop bag in his arms. Sweat was pouring from his forehead and he looked panicked.

"Who are you? Where is Eric?" He asked of Sookie.

Unsure of what to do, she just used her first name to name to introduce herself. "I'm Sookie. Why don't you have a seat and we'll wait for Eric?" She sent concern hoping that Eric would feel it, but since she didn't know how he 'got' her feelings, she couldn't be sure.

"My name is Bruce, I work for . . ."

Pam barged in before he could even finish his sentence. "Bruce, I was not aware you were scheduled to be here."

"I'm not, there's a problem." His eyes cut over to Sookie; then back to Pam.

"Eric will be here in a moment; we'll wait."

Sookie already knew the problem; she'd heard it from Bruce right away. Money was missing, lots of money from the bar and Bruce had no idea who was responsible. Pam glanced her way and Sookie just winked at her. A nod back from Pam indicated that she understood.

"What's going on Bruce?" Eric requested as he walked in.

Bruce stuttered out, "I th . . . think we should tal . . . talk in private."

"No need." Eric responded as he waived Sookie to his lap from her seat on the couch. "Min älskade, do you already know?"

"Yes, Bruce has discovered about $60,000 missing. It's not him; he doesn't know who has embezzled from you." Bruce fainted.

When they revived him Eric glamoured Sookie's talent from him and implanted that he had delivered the news and that Eric believed he was not responsible. With the details from Bruce on the missing funds gathered, they told Bruce to go home for the night. "Min älskade, can you help?"

"What do you need?"

"If we call a staff meeting at close tonight, can you read the staff's minds to help us uncover the person responsible?"

"What if its' a vampire?"

"Well, if it's not one of the humans, then we'll know that much."

"What will you do to the human?" The question weighed heavily on Eric. He knew VERY WELL that Sookie didn't believe in vampires dishing out punishments to humans. Vampires would expect him to extract his own justice, painfully, but Sookie wouldn't forgive that since in this case specifically, the crime would be theft, not a hate crime against a vampire.

"As this is not a hate crime against my kind, if a human is responsible, I will turn them over to the police." He could feel shock from Pam, but her face revealed nothing. Sookie relaxed in his hold. "How would you like to do this Sookie? One at a time; the group?"

"Why don't you call the staff meeting and when the bar closes, I'll be in the employee room while the waitresses change. I can mention to Ginger that the rumor is money was stolen and read their thoughts."

"Too risky. I don't want you alone in the break room with the potential thief."

"You or Pam can be right outside the door when I start talking."

"Not good enough."

Sookie thought for a moment, she wanted this plan to work rather than reading everyone and then needing Eric and Pam to glamour them all to forget it. She'd seen the black holes left by glamour, she was sure it couldn't be good if it happened too often. "How about Thalia stays in the storeroom, you know, right behind a partially opened door, nobody will see her there." He started to shake his head. "AND you and Pam outside the door in the hallway?" She watched him consider her suggestion and reminded him. "The waitresses are humans Eric, you'll have time."

"Very well." She smiled. "Pam, get Longshadow."

"Wait!"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Wait?"

"Well, just in case. If it's not a human, it's a vampire?"

"Yes, but he's a partner."

"Well, what other vampire could it be?"

"We have two that work occasionally as bouncers and one bartender. Min älskade, this is Longshadow's business as well as ours." He said, indicating Pam and himself. "He deserves to know about the missing money." Sookie was quiet before finally acknowledging his point.

Pam took Sookie to the ladies' room while Eric explained the missing money to Longshadow, leaving out Sookie's telepathy for the moment. They believed if Sookie's idea worked, they could quietly deal with the situation and contain her gift.

Finally, the bar closed and Sookie was waiting for the waitresses in the employee room with Thalia tucked into the storage room; the door open for a quick attack if needed. Ginger was the last one in and Sookie heard them talking about the staff meeting. Some were happy for the extra time since they were going to be paid, some were upset since their vampire 'dates' weren't waiting for them. Sookie decided to dive in and she spoke to Ginger. "Ginger, did you hear that there's money missing from the Fangtasia accounts?" That was all it took and Ginger spread the information like wildfire through the other waitresses.

After only a few minutes, she joined a very impatient Eric in the hallway hoping to tell him the information in private, but that didn't happen. As soon as she walked out, she spied Longshadow and based on what she'd heard in the employee room, her eyes widened just a bit. From that, he knew or at least suspected enough to lunge for her. Sookie was flat on her back and Longshadow had already sunk his teeth into her neck before he started melting in front of her. Clever girl that Sookie was, she closed her mouth to resist any goo from getting into her system. As it was, she was coated with the thoroughly disgusting viscous liquid. Pam pulled her out from under Eric who was standing there with hand in the shape of the stake he had shoved into Longshadow.

"Pam, move the staff to the bar area, tell them we are down a bartender and send them home." He reached for Sookie. "Sookie, we'll go in the break room as soon as everyone is out." He held her in the hallway while the others filed past them, each gawking at her current state. Finally, he had her in the shower with the water running while he removed her clothes. "You're being awfully quiet my love, are you all right?" She only nodded but she also let the tears out that he'd been expecting. "Shhh, it's over now, you were very brave, and smart not to ingest his blood."

She gasped. "What would have happened?"

"I'm not sure, but my fear would have been a possible disruption to our bonding plans. I don't know the details but at the very least it could have required that we start over." Now that she was naked, he grabbed the shampoo to start cleaning her from the side of the shower.

"That wouldn't have been too bad, but I'm still glad I didn't drink it. I mean, it wasn't just blood, it was him – all gooey." She shuddered at the thought.

"Yes, that would have been gross for you and I'm certain I would have had more vomit to clean up. You are just so much trouble my Sookie." He made a face to indicate he was joking so she giggled. "You know, these situations where you need a bath or shower keep happening, and we never get to have fun." She rolled her eyes at his wagging eyebrows. He was just pleased she was coming around so quickly. Once she was cleaned and rinsed, he set her on the bench outside the shower with a towel. Here, dry off a bit, I'll find you a shirt." He kissed her nose and left but returned quickly with two shirts, one for her to wear as a dress, and one for him to replace his wet and dirty one. "Come, Pam and Thalia are waiting in the office to hear what happened."

"Thalia?"

"You can trust her with your gift Sookie, we already told Indira."

"You thought Longshadow was OK as well."

"Ouch, but let me clarify. He was a partner in the business that had been robbed, he deserved to know. You recall I didn't want him to know about your gift unless it was necessary."

"Fair enough. But seriously, this thing being referred to as a gift takes some getting accustomed to."

In the office Sookie shared the details from the break room. "As soon as the story about the missing money was mentioned to Belinda, she thought about the funny bags Longshadow gave Ginger and how Longshadow would stare into Ginger's eyes to tell her something after. I just put it together, enough to come out and tell you but seeing Longshadow in the hall surprised me and I guess it showed, 'cause, well, you know what happened next." She laid her head on Eric's shoulder. "Will you be in trouble for killing a vampire?"

"Longshadow's maker will give me grief and demand some payment, but otherwise, it will be fine."

"Can we go home now?"

"Most certainly. You've had a VERY busy night." He whispered into her ear. "And it's not over yet." She blushed at his words but said nothing while Eric stood with Sookie in his arms and left the bar to place her gently in the car. He drove 'Eric' fast to his house and continued to carry her into his bedroom. "Do you need anything?"

"Just you. Do you need to work anymore tonight?"

"I need to report the incident with Longshadow. Luckily, that will be considered significant enough that I can put off my reports about our Soldiers of the Light captives until tomorrow night. I just need about 10 minutes."

"Ok, I'll be here."

"Sookie, can you keep my shirt on?"

"See something you like?"

He licked his lips and replied, "Very much."

OOOoooOOOooo

"Pam, thank you for calling him already. What did he say?"

"Hotrain wants half a million for Longshadow."

"That fucker! His child was embezzling from us, he deserved to die."

"It's not like that would break you, Eric."

"That's not the point!"

"You're stuck here. If you appeal, the WHOLE story will come out, and on paper it will look like you killed a vampire for a companion."

"A protected companion!"

"A companion we are keeping quiet about for now. Just pay it."

"He'll be suspicious if I just pay it, so I'll send him $400,000, get the account information." He ended the call with Pam to notify the palace. That call went a bit better since Andre completely understood the need to kill Longshadow for embezzlement. Since Eric had only called to report on Longshadow, he was ready to end the call when Andre asked for an update on the Soldiers of the Light situation. Another 20 minutes later and he was finally off his calls, but now he was quite worked up so he started pacing to calm down. Andre could just have that effect on a vampire. He wanted to return to Sookie in a more calm state, but this night was trying his patience. They needed to complete the bond so he could move forward with the asset contract.

After a few moments and a quick blood to curb his thirst exacerbated by his anger, he returned to his bedroom to find his little one, asleep in the bed. '_Might as well finish my written updates on the Soldiers of the Light since she is asleep_' he decided so he grabbed his laptop and settled into bed. '_Tomorrow I want to help her move down here if she wishes. I never did show her the closet expansion for her that Alcide's crew completed this past weekend_.'

OOOoooOOOooo

Sookie woke at about 1PM the next afternoon. '_Augh, I fell asleep, we were supposed to exchange last night_!' She chastised herself mentally. '_Nothing I can do about that now_.' She decided to start her day and get some schoolwork done, so she went to pick up her phone from the nightstand and found a note tucked under it and smiled.

_Min älskade, _

_You had a busy night so when I saw you sleeping, I let you be. The good news is, I completed all my reports from our work last night, and we have extra time tonight before we have to go anywhere. I also booked our getaway, so you might want to ensure you have clothes ready to pack. We are going somewhere that has an indoor pool, so perhaps you can purchase a new LITTLE something for that. Yes, you can imagine that my eyebrows are waggling as I write this._

_I love you,_

_E_

She laughed out loud at his note and turned to kiss his sleeping face. "I'll find something little for the pool you dirty old man." With that, she started her day.

A few hours later, Potts found Sookie in the front garden. "You've been out here for a while."

"And, I have another hundred bulbs to go." She remarked to Potts as she delivered Sookie some tea as a break from her hard work.

"How many bulbs did you buy?"

"400. He's got a huge property, so I'll need to add more each year."

"I doubt he intended for you to plant them all by yourself."

"I'm accustomed to hard work."

"Yes, but you also work for him at night, attend college and you and I have started your defense training. You need to be careful you don't wear yourself out."

"Yes, MOM!" She giggled. "You have class tonight, right?"

"I do, followed by a study group until later.

"Later?"

"I'll be gone for several hours," She looked at her watch. "Oh my, I should leave soon to make it on time." She rose to leave. "You'll have the WHOLE house to yourselves for a while. Whatever will you do?"

Sookie blushed and Potts saved her from more embarrassment by leaving her be. When she checked the time herself, she realized she needed to get in the shower. Eric would be rising in about 20 minutes.

Remembering how Eric liked seeing her in his shirts, she put on just one of his shirts and pulled her hair up in a messy bun. She'd waited too long to shower and didn't have time to dry and style her hair. Next she wandered his chamber, trying to decide where to wait for Eric. The bed, she decided, was too obvious. They'd made out on the couch in the sitting area already. The kitchen was really just a counter with the appliances – nothing fun for sex. That left the library. She chuckled as she thought to herself; it was Sookie, in the Library with the man's shirt like Clue could be made into a sex game. The desk in here was more of a writing table and was empty except for a lamp; but it was an armless wooden side chair that caught her eye. '_I think I'll just pose myself on this chair and wait for him to find me_.'

It wasn't long before he came striding into the library and found Sookie had turned his chair around and straddled it, wearing nothing but his shirt with several buttons undone and some spike heels. "Sookie." He said in a husky voice and SHE smirked. "I want a picture." She stopped smiling.

"WHAT! No, you can't have a nudy picture of me."

"No X-rated body parts are showing; you wear less in our backyard."

"You said OUR backyard." She smiled.

"I did." He gave her back the same dopey smile. "Don't distract me from my request to take your picture." Then he tried his proven technique: Pleading face and "please?"

The face was irresistible. "You promise no nipple is showing?"

He smiled at his victory. "I promise."

"Fine, go get your camera."

He was back in a flash and started snapping away. "I will have these made into black and whites. I think the pose and the man's shirt will be perfect for that." He came and fussed with the collar and undid another button, pushing the shirt a bit more apart as he did.

"ERIC!"

"No nipple dear, just the luscious curve of your breast, I promise." Of course, he took the opportunity to move his hand down further. His cock twitched and since he was naked, Sookie saw it. "You have nothing on at all under my shirt?"

"Nothing."

"Last picture then." The camera being placed gently on a small table by the door was the last gentle thing Eric did. "It's been two nights since I've had you." He said as he grabbed her from the chair and moved her to the writing desk. Her butt was on the edge of the desk while he sat in the chair and held her legs up. "We're keeping that shirt on." He moved one leg to a shoulder and kissed the ankle. "And these shoes." Her other leg was up on his other shoulder now and he dove in. He attacked like a starved man and Sookie climaxed several times before he moved from his position. Sookie's legs were moved to wrap around him as he stood and bent over the table. "Good evening min älskade." He said and kissed her.

"Good evening, Sweetie." She responded when he finally let her up for air.

Making sure her breasts were accessible and his arms were in place above her shoulders to hold her onto the table, he pushed in. Sookie was sure she would feel some pain, but there was nothing but pleasure and she gasped at the feeling. He waited until she relaxed a bit around his considerable girth then started to move, now holding her hips to keep her on the table. "God's Sookie, so tight, so wet. I want to do this all night." He kept his movement steady and Sookie's hips rose to meet his thrust after thrust. Her breasts were moving with each of his forceful pushes and he was mesmerized by them. The flush of pink was moving down her body as it had the first time they made love, and he took one hand to trace it across her torso. He thought she looked gorgeous when she was excited like this and he planned to see it every night; many times a night if could. The hand tracing her torso now moved to her lower lips and he massaged them while he sped his movements. "Sookie, cum for me love." Her body obeyed and she took Eric with her.

After her breathing evened out, she was curious. "I thought we were exchanging."

"We are."

"I thought we would exchange during, you know."

"We will."

"Just how much time do we have before we need to go anywhere?"

"Plenty enough for some more fun." He picked her up and moved her to the bathroom. "I want to bathe with you Sookie. I've been teased too much with you and the shower or tub." After he started the water in the tub, he moved to Sookie. "I want to see the water on your body and lick it off." He undid the last button on the shirt. "I want to wash every inch of your skin with my soap covered hands." He removed her shirt and tossed it to the side. "I want to trace the soap bubbles down your chest with my eyes." He picked her up. "Then I want to fuck you so there's no water left in the tub from our passion." He stepped into the tub with her, and gently sat her on his lap. "And when you're about to cum from my attentions, we will latch onto each other's necks and exchange blood min älskade."

Sookie was breathless from his words. In fact, she could only moan as Eric kept each of those promises, and then some. When he finally entered her, she was ready to explode from all the sensations, but she kept her senses at least enough to remember to suck on Eric's neck where he had made a cut with a small blade. The exchange caused them both to orgasm and he held her while she calmed.

After a few moments he grinned and whispered into Sookie's ear "did you like that?" She nodded. "We still have time. That was just the warm up."


	27. All about the Bond

**Hi!**

**I did NOT fall off the face of the earth. I am still struggling with chapter 38 - now growing longer, but still not complete. I also wrote an entry for the I Write the Songs contest - so that took some days - more on that after my entry is judged and I am permitted to post it.**

**SO - cross your fingers, send me ESP, have a muse visit me cause really, I won't post another chapter here until Chapter 38 is written. . . Seriously, it's killing me.**

**Enjoy the bond - but don't relax about it...**

**ALSO - Someone was concerned about how Sookie would feel about Eric and Gran planning her life. Well, you see her reaction in a few chapters (I don't remember which one) - but they weren't planning her life, it was the good old fashioned asking for her hand in marriage. I like that kind of stuff. **

**Finally - healing a virgin - so in my perspective (for this book, I don't promise this stance for every book I ever write) - the hymen is a thin membrane, like a layer of skin that Vampire blood can heal - not something like a finger that would need to be regrown (which vampire blood would not heal for a human). Am I right? Wrong? Who knows I'm not a doctor or a vampire - I just took that spin. **

**Doing this here cause I just didn't have time to respond to all the reviews this round - SORRY ABOUT THAT!**

**Now, I must get ready for the final Girl Scout meeting of the year and then the closing ceremony on Tuesday. You won't see anything from me til that's all over. BUT - that does not relieve you of doing your reader duty and reviewing - plleeeaasse. . .**

**~mags**

Chapter 26 - All About the Bond

January 28, 2004

"But I've never been on a plane before."

"I know, that's why we're flying at night, and it's a private plane." He said his next sentence while waggling his eyebrows. "The back of the plane has a bed."

She giggled. "Do you think that's going to distract me?"

"I most certainly do. Now, let's get to Fangtasia, so I can finish work and we can leave."

They were in the car on their way to the bar when Eric asked about homework. "Are you all caught up, or will you need to work while we're there?"

"I do have homework to do. I'll do the work during the day so it won't cut into our time."

"You can do it at the pool; since there's network connectivity in the pool room. I'll be sure to set it up before I die today." She glared at him. "Rest, I meant rest."

Pam greeted them at the office door to Fangtasia. "Well, you must be eager to get out of town; you haven't been this early for a while."

"Nice to see you too, Pam."

"Come crumb cake, I want to catch up."

"Where are you taking her?"

"Hmm, I guess nowhere. You should leave the office, it's soundproof and we can gossip without you here." He glared at her. "You're getting her to yourself until Tuesday night. I need my BFF. Even though I saw her the other night, we had the Longshadow mess. I haven't had girl time for days!"

He appeared annoyed but the truth was he liked that Pam had Sookie, so he gave them this time. "Fine. But I will be back in to complete my paperwork in 30 minutes."

"That's plenty of time."

He kissed Sookie on the nose and left the office. The door hadn't even closed completely when Pam turned to Sookie and said. "Dish!"

"What do you mean, Pam?" They moved to the couch.

"You aren't a virgin anymore, are you?"

"PAM! That's kinda private."

"Not between Best Friends." She watched Sookie's face relax a bit so she pressed. "He was gentle, right?"

"Yes Pam, I did that thing you told me and he was calmer."

"That THING is a blow job Sookie."

"Yeah a blow job."

"Did you enjoy yourself and I mean, did you cum?"

"Blunt much?" Sookie made a face like she was offended, but she just started giggling. "Yes, he's very talented."

"I told you about that talent months ago, you just chose to ignore me."

"Pam, do you honestly think I would have enjoyed it months ago?"

"Oh, you humans and your brains, making much ado about nothing. So, did you exchange again?"

"Yes, but not until Wednesday, since I needed to heal without blood. Then we had fun in the tub, most of the water was on the floor by the time we got out."

"Oh, those are the best baths. So let's talk about some more tricks you can use on your trip this weekend. First . . ." Pam continued to educate a wide-eyed and blushing Sookie until Eric returned to the room. The giggles from the couch and the two of them looking at the PC together were cause for concern, but like the last time he caught them giggling over the laptop, Pam had a butterfly picture on display when he looked. "I'll just go and work the door. Sookie, you have homework to do."

OOOoooOOOooo

"We really have to fly?"

"It's a one hour flight, and I want to take you many other places that will require flying. This is a great introduction. I'll be with you the entire time. You don't need to be afraid; I can break out the door and fly us to safety if anything happens."

"Are we really going to be alone in there?"

"Yes, there is a flight staff that will remain in the front cabin after we have reached a cruising altitude, we'll be able to have fun." He said as he waggled his eyebrows.

"Yes, well I was more concerned about appearances. I mean, I want to be able to be close to you and not worry about vampire politics."

"That's not a problem, and even if we were flying with the Queen, I would be ok with comforting you for the flight."

"That's good to know." She took a deep breath. "I can do this." She said, trying to convince herself.

While they waited for the plane to be ready, they chatted about the training she had started with Potts. Sookie explained that after just a few days she felt more confident about herself. She never realized how naïve she was about her safety. Potts' instructions on awareness as basic self defense had opened her eyes. She was happy that Eric thought enough of her to arrange for her to learn rather than ignore that she was able to participate in her own safety.

Soon, they were belted into their seats and the plane was backing away from the building. The take off was surprising for Sookie, she hadn't expected the speed, but it wasn't too bad and soon the flight attendant announced she would be in the front cabin if she was needed. Remembering Pam's advice, Sookie told Eric she was exploring and moved to the back of the plane where the bedroom was. When she got to the door she called Eric "I thought you wanted to distract me?"

He ran to the back. "You didn't say THIS is where you were headed."

"Just get in here and relax me."

"Yes dear."

OOOoooOOOooo

Mr. Northman, welcome to Dallas. I hope you and Miss Stackhouse enjoy your stay." They'd barely made it to their seats for landing and Sookie was still fixing her hair as they said goodbye to the flight staff.

"Thank you. We will see you for the return flight on Tuesday?"

"Yes sir."

They left the plane and settled into the waiting limo. "Godric! This is a surprise." She reached to give him a hug that he welcomed.

"Hello Sookie. You remember Theresa."

"Of course, how are you? Isn't it pretty late for you?" She asked of Theresa remembering that she did not keep full vampire hours due to her nursing position.

"I am well. I stayed up to say hi and see you to the house."

"House?"

Eric finally spoke. "Yes, we are staying at one of Godric's houses in Dallas."

"Oh, thank you Godric."

"My pleasure Sookie. I hope you like it. Eric and I spoke and he felt the house with the indoor pool would be best."

"I'm just happy to be away from everyone."

"Sookie we won't be aware from everyone. You won't see them, but there are guards on the property for our protection." Eric saw her deflate a bit. "Min kära, we've spoken about this, guards are part of our lives."

"I know." He kissed her forehead and she turned back to Godric. "Will we be seeing you again while we're here?"

"Just when you are leaving. Theresa wants to see you off since she will be moving on shortly and will likely not see you again."

"WHAT?"

"I'm 39 Sookie, it's a long shot, but I want to have a child and Godric has found a doctor to help me."

"But you don't want to stay here and raise the child?"

"Sookie, why don't we talk tomorrow afternoon? You can call me when you are awake."

"Ok."

A long house came into view as they pulled into a driveway. "Here we are."

"Godric, it's beautiful."

"I'm sure you will enjoy your stay. The kitchen has been stocked with simple ingredients and prepared meals so you only need to heat up anything. Eric picked the foods." She smiled up at Eric.

"Well, my dear, enjoy your getaway and we will be back to pick you up Tuesday just after first dark."

Eric picked her up bridal style and carried her into the house. "Alone at last."

She giggled at his actions. "We've been alone at home."

"Not with an indoor pool, not for this many hours in a row; I'm taking full advantage. Take off your clothes."

"Should I even bother telling you that our bags are still on the front porch?"

"There's nothing in there that you need."

"You told me to buy a skimpy something for the pool."

"Hmmm, that you need, so I can rip it off of you."

"I have some other things in there that I think you want." He grumbled but put her down and went to grab the bags. "Show me where the bedroom is, I'm going to change."

"Is it going to be worth it? You could have been naked already, and it's getting close to dawn."

"You have 3 hours before dawn and you know you stay awake longer than that." She started waving her hands trying to guess at the direction of the bedroom. "Come on, show me to the bedroom and I'll be ready all the faster."

They made it to the bedroom and she instructed him to wait on the bed with his clothes on. He raised an eyebrow at her request but complied. She came out of the bathroom in a blue silk and lace babydoll and Eric grew hard. He wanted to rip it off but she put her hand up to stop him as he started to get off the bed. "Uh uh, stay put." She walked to the bed and started unbuttoning his shirt. "I'm undressing you tonight and you will comply. You ripped my nightgown off last night and you are not ripping this one off." He growled but stayed in position. Sookie in control was hot. His belt was unbuckled next, then his button and zipper were undone. When she freed him from his jeans, he popped out hard and ready for her. She smirked, enjoying that she had that effect on him. "Lift." She said as she tugged on the waist of his jeans. Now he only had his shirt and she tugged on his arms to pull him up to sitting so she could pull it off. "There, much better and not a button lost its life in the process." He chuckled at her. Then he reached his arms up to pull on the macramé straps of her gown and she slapped his hands away. "I told you to stay put." Retaking control, she grasped the hem of her babydoll in her hands and lifted and pulled the garment off receiving a growl of approval from Eric. She straddled him and leaned down to kiss his face and chest, and eventually his mouth; devouring his taste. "Eric. I want you." She whispered into his ear, her tongue flicking his lobe. Kneeling upright again, she moved to take his length in her hands and rubbed him through her wet slit. Once he was coated she guided him and he plunged while she lowered herself. They continued their rhythm until he repositioned himself back to sitting up so he could suckle her breasts. With the extra attention, Sookie came yelling Eric's name. Eric showed no signs of stopping though. He continued his thrusts and repositioned Sookie under him and sped up. To deepen his penetration, he moved one leg up over his hip and shifted his angle. Sookie let out a moan of pleasure with each thrust. She could feel all of him as he moved in and out and she built to another release. "Harder." She ordered and he complied, sending her over the edge in just a few thrusts and her orgasm spurred his. He collapsed on top of her and when he went to move from her, she kept him there.

"Sookie, I'll suffocate you."

"Just stay for a moment, I like this feeling." His arms moved to cage her beneath him and take more weight so she could still feel him, but not be crushed. "I love feeling so protected Eric."

"I'll always protect you, Sookie." He started a soft kissing campaign to her face and she felt loved and safe.

"I know. I'm grateful for that."

"How grateful?"

"I'll show you."

OOOoooOOOooo

Sookie woke at about 2PM, surprised that she had slept so long. She looked at Eric, resting beside her and said. "You wore me out last night." She giggled, "I hope you want to do that again."

After eating her lunch, she called Theresa and arranged for her to come over for a while. They had just settled into their seats when Sookie burst out her questions. "Theresa, what's going on?"

"I didn't want to talk in front of Eric because I know he regrets what happened, and you know I have forgiven him, since I told you that in December. I want to have some of the life I had always wanted. That includes a baby."

"But what about Godric, why not raise the child with him?"

"He wants that, but Sookie, I need to put this behind me. Sookie, I've been with a vampire for 17 years. I'm ready for regular bedtime, eating dinner with my housemates, and other human stuff. I've got a friend, she's single and willing to move in with me and stay even if I do get pregnant. I don't want to depend on a man for anything. It's taken a long time for the programming to go away."

"Wow. If this is what you want, then I'm happy for you."

"Godric and I will still be friends, but this is really more about my being healed and ready to move on. That was Godric's goal all along, so he really is supporting this."

"Poor Godric. He'll be so alone."

"Sookie, Godric cared for me, and we enjoyed each other, but I wasn't the love of his life."

"Oh, who was his love?"

"You'll need to ask him someday. But just know, he will be fine."

She nodded then her face changed to curiosity as she caught her "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure Sookie."

"How did you come to forgive Eric?"

She sighed. "Godric had long ago explained to me why Eric did what he did." Sookie's ears perked up. This was something really wanted to know. "But those reasons are secret. I saw your interest, but I can't share it with you."

"I understand."

"I was already on my way to forgive him, since some of what happened was, hmm I can't say it was Godric's fault, but he did have something to do with it. Anyway, Eric called me; I guess it was early November of last year. In all these years he tried to make amends with gifts. Impersonal items, with standard notes, or even notes Pam wrote. I knew it was different in November, HE was different. It was him talking to me and I knew he was truly sorry about what happened. You and I both know he's done and still does things we wouldn't do, but he punishes those that deserve it or his actions were related to his survival. He knows the difference between those actions and what he did to me, and he regrets it. Sookie, honestly I believed him, I mean, I really do believe him."

"I'm glad for both of you then."

They continued to talk about Theresa's plans. Sookie thought she was incredibly brave, knowing what she wanted and trying so late in life for a baby. She made a good living as a nurse and Godric was paying for the fertility doctor and her house, so she was certainly able to handle the financial needs. Sookie hoped Theresa would be able to have a baby, at 39 she didn't have too much time to keep trying, but she was sure that Godric would be paying for the best doctors. When she left, Sookie felt a twinge of sadness. Since they planned to stay in touch, the sadness wasn't about Theresa leaving Godric, so she dissected it. In the end, she believed the twinge was about her strength in her decision. Wanting a child so badly spurred her to give up the comfort of Godric and his home to the unknown of an infant and single parenthood. Could Sookie have been lying to herself about wanting a child? No matter now, she was with Eric and it was never going to be a possibility.

Eric rose to an empty bedroom, but he realized Theresa had come over for a visit as they had planned. He heard the end of their conversation, some pieces of Theresa leaving Godric and choosing to have a baby. He also felt the sadness in Sookie as she left. He wondered if Sookie really did want children and she had even convinced herself that she didn't. Perhaps they could explore adoption or insemination if she really wanted a child. He shook himself out of his thoughts, he was excited about his plans for their evening, and he took a fast shower so she could have the bathroom to get ready. A naked Sookie greeted him when he was just stepping out of the shower and he wanted to go back in with her, but he had plans. When he told her to get her shower and get ready, she pouted. Laughing at her, he promised he had plans that she would be pleased with and that she should just comply. A dress was hung on the back of the bathroom door with the appropriate accessories. "This is for you, Sookie. I would be very pleased if you would wear it when you come downstairs."

"I hadn't expected to dress up."

"It's all part of the surprise. I'll be waiting for you downstairs."

Sookie showered and shaved herself smooth as quickly as she could. Now that Eric had supplied something fancy to wear, she would need to spend extra time on her hair and make-up, but she was so excited for the surprise she wanted to get downstairs as soon as she could. The bag was from Saks Fifth Avenue and Sookie could almost see Pam smirking in front of her, purchasing an extremely expensive dress that she knew Sookie would have to wear. Sue Wong was the designer and Sookie held the dress out to admire it. As soon as she saw the one shoulder design, she quickly checked the accessory bag and was relieved to find a very sturdy looking strapless bra. The dress looked vintage and modern at the same time with a lace overlay reminiscent of the 20s. She loved it and dressed hurriedly so she could get downstairs to Eric.

Eric was vamping around the house getting the special dinner planned. He set the table as Pam instructed, including candles and flowers that were delivered with the catered meal. The bedroom door opened upstairs and he moved to the bottom of the staircase to greet Sookie. Pam was going to get a reward for this one. Sookie looked breathtaking in her dress and heels and he held his hand out to her as she took the last two steps. Even after everything they'd done in the past few days he saw her blush start just from his stare he guessed. "You look beautiful min älskade."

"You look quite handsome yourself." And he did in his Armani black suit, shirt and tie. "Are we going out?"

"No, come this way." He led her to the dining room and she gasped. "You really do move quickly for a giant. This is beautiful and I can't believe you set this up while I showered and dressed. I must take too long to get ready."

Guiding her to her seat he said. "You don't take too long, but if these are always the results, then it's time well spent anyway." He lifted her plate cover. "I ordered your dinner. I hope you like it."

"I always enjoy filet. You spoil me by buying it often." She inhaled. "It all smells wonderful."

"Then dive in." Sookie had long since gotten accustomed to eating in front of Eric. He always had a goblet, though now that she was feeding him, he only took sips. Her moans started and so then did the constant adjustment to his pants. They talked of nothing important while she ate and he enjoyed her smiles. Since she was so happy and light now, he was afraid to bring up the sadness she felt when Theresa left. He wanted to enjoy her feelings right now. Soon, just in a few hours in fact, she would be able to enjoy his moods as well. Anger, he decided, he would block though; his Sookie did not need to see that side of him.

When she finished her plate, he removed it to the kitchen and returned with a small chocolate cake which she also ate completely. Now was the time for his plans. He was nervous and he admonished himself for the feeling. '_1000 years dead and a 24 year old woman has me scared. Get a grip Northman, this is what you planned_.' He rose and then knelt before her, taking her hand. "Sookie. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my days with you – for eternity if you decide that. I'm looking forward to completing our bond, but there is something else. Since human laws don't permit us to marry in the US, I ask you now to marry me in the vampire tradition. We can be pledged, and in the supernatural world, that would make us husband and wife." Sookie's eyes started filling with tears as she understood what was happening. "Sookie, will you be my wife?"

She was smiling widely as she answered. "Yes Eric. I want to be yours in all ways; just as you will be mine."

He smiled. "Then I want to present you with this ring to signify our engagement and the night of our bonding." He reached into his pocket. She gasped when he opened the box and put her hands to her mouth. "I chose a yellow diamond Sookie, since you are my sun now. Will you wear it?"

"Oh Eric. It's too much."

"Nothing is too much for you." He slid it on her finger then reached up to wipe the tears from her eyes. "Sookie, I didn't purchase a white diamond solitaire since I hope someday that US laws will change and we can marry and follow your human traditions." She started to sob a bit more. "Don't cry min kära, please don't."

She took a breath so she could speak. "I'm not sad or disappointed that it's not a white diamond, I mean, this ring is gorgeous. Even if we do have a human wedding, I never want another engagement ring. This is perfect." She took a deep breath to regain some composure. "I just never thought I would date or find love Eric. Never. I'm, I'm just overwhelmed." She looked up at him and smiled through her tears. "Overwhelmed but happy." She leaned over to kiss Eric while he still knelt before her. The kiss grew and he reached to lift her while he stood. "Take me to bed Eric and we can finish our bond."

"Gladly."

With Sookie in his arms, Eric flew upstairs and into the bedroom. Sookie stood before him a bit nervous. "What has you nervous? Are you having second thoughts?"

"No, none. I um, do we do this before, during or after?"

"The bond?" She nodded her head. "We can do it however we want. I would prefer to do it just as you cum my beauty." Her blush was just as he expected, but she did answer with a quiet OK. With that settled, he started on her dress. "You know, this dress is spot clean only." She rolled her eyes, knowing what was coming. Then she heard the rip. "30 seconds is too long to get to you."

"I'm jealous I don't have the strength to rip that suit off of you."

"I can undress too quickly." Sure enough, he was in front of her out of his clothes while hungrily gazing at her in her strapless bra and panties. "Say goodbye to that gorgeous lingerie." She squealed but ran, deciding to make it a game. Vampire speed and those long legs ensured he would catch her, but at first he moved after her at a regular human speed. She giggled as she rounded the bed, ran into the hall, and down the stairs, all while Eric gave chase. He caught her in the kitchen and she pretended to fight his hold while he carried her back. She bounced when he tossed her to the bed and he crawled up towards her. The game was too fun, so Sookie tried to crawl away from him, but he caught her ankle and pulled her back. "Oh no, little girl, I caught you, fair and square."

"Whatcha gonna do to me." She asked and bit her lip.

"You'll see." Then he ripped the bra and panties she'd been trying to save. The chase had been in fun but it excited him very much and he wanted her. He could smell how much she wanted him as well. "First, I want to taste you." He moaned at her taste when he landed between her legs and started to bring her to her first orgasm. It didn't take long given how worked up they both were. Before he moved up her body, he reached to the nightstand and dagger with a jeweled handle out of the drawer. When he noticed that Sookie looked at it warily, he explained. "It's for the bond. It's just a little bigger than the one we used before." She relaxed below him and he positioned himself between her legs.

Eric wanted to savor their bonding so he started slowly, kissing and caressing. Sookie was getting worked up below him, but he didn't speed up his attentions until finally she begged. "Eric, please."

"What my love?"

"I want you."

"But you ran from me. How can I be sure?"

"I know damn well you can tell how much I want you." She moved her hand to her lower lips so he could feel her want. "I'm more than ready, so fuck me."

"Language Sookie. A proper lady should not speak like that."

"Stop talking and get busy."

He just chuckled but pushed into her just the same. "Like this?"

"Yes, more, harder, faster."

He had been moving at a very slow pace, but worked himself up in response to her pleas for more speed. They moved in sync and he lifted himself just enough to enjoy to mottled blush on her chest. He knew he would never enjoy another woman again. When he felt she was close he pulled her up while he knelt back on his heels and made a gash in his neck with the dagger. "Drink Sookie." He ordered, and she did. Once she was latched on, he bit into her neck and drank. The effect was immediate. What he had felt before, the connection to Sookie was but a trickle compared to the breadth of the bond that opened between them. Sookie felt it too and gasped in shock. She could feel his surprise at the bond, his lust and mostly his love. They both came seconds later and fell to the bed in a heap.

He wasn't surprised to hear her crying. Gods knew he was overwhelmed by the feelings and he'd had a preview from the one sided bond. Comfort, he offered her comfort by taking her in his arms and caressing her back while she sorted through the emotions from the bond. "Eric."

"Yes min kära."

"You love me. You, you really love me."

"Forever Sookie."

"You were also surprised by the bond. I thought you could already feel me?"

"I could but before it was like a garden hose and now it's like a fire hose. It's much more now."

"Is that OK?"

"Yes, we can also work on blocking the bond. I know, for example, I don't want you to feel what I feel when I'm in Sheriff mode with my underlings who need judgment and punishment."

"Eww, I agree there." She said as she made a face for a second as she thought about it. Then she changed to a puzzled look. "What does min kära mean?

"Just another expression for you; Swedish for my dear."

"I like it. So how do we send feelings through the bond?" He looked at her. "Lust? You send me horniness after all that?" He waggled his brows and pulled her under him.

OOOoooOOOooo

"Will you make me some eggs?"

"Will you let me feed you?" They had moved to the kitchen to 'replenish the human' as Sookie requested. She giggled but nodded yes. "You giggle at me, silly girl. Feeding can be very erotic."

"I defer to your judgment." She turned serious again. "You didn't answer my question about how to send, you just sent me lust you perv."

"It's not that hard, I already feel your emotions, you just need to direct something." She still looked puzzled. "Now you're frustrated, so think of me and push it, if you will." He waited. "That's it, I got it. Try other emotions."

They spent the time he cooked for her sending emotions back and forth. Sookie also noticed she could hear more clearly. "Eric, I can hear more or better I guess?"

"You'll be stronger too. It's all side effects of the blood. You already had some of that."

"I must admit I liked that part – My skin glows."

"I thought was your love for me." He placed her plate down and sat with her at the table.

"Maybe it is, but I was glowing a bit back in October after I first had your blood. I can assure you it wasn't love then."

He chuckled at her comment. "Agreed." He reached up and played with a section of curls. "Your hair is brighter too."

"I know – it grew so much in the past months, and the new growth is brighter. Maybe I should cut all the older hair so that the color is consistent." She watched his face fall at that comment. "What?"

"Don't cut your hair, please. I love playing with it."

"OK." He'd started to feed her the eggs he had scrambled for her. "So we are really engaged? I mean, what's the word?"

"We'll need to consult that dating book . . . the one we never got." She giggled. "We are engaged to be pledged in my world, why not be engaged for your custom as well?"

"Ok. Tell me about the pledge ceremony."

"The pledge ceremony itself is very simple. The jeweled dagger we just used?" She nodded. "That is a ceremonial dagger and we will use it for our pledging. It's from Godric. I asked him to leave it in this house. We can add to the ceremony but the basic requirements are that you hand me that dagger, I kiss it to acknowledge our pledge and use the dagger to cut from our wrists to fill a chalice. We then drink our mixed blood from the chalice. This would need to be done in front of witnesses."

"That's it?"

"Yes, but like I said, we can add to it. Invite your friends and family, have your Gran walk you in, whatever you want."

They were quiet for a few moments as Eric concentrated on feeding her and she realized he was right about the experience being erotic. Between the looks he was giving her and the feel of the food and fork on her mouth, being fed WAS having an impact. "I'm not going to be able to walk tomorrow at this rate."

"You should just stay in bed with me all day. Hmmm, or maybe you should lie out in the sun and then snuggle back into bed with me for my wake-up."

"That sounds like a good plan, as long as it's sunny." She took a final sip of her milk. "I'm done here. Can we try out that pool?"

His face beamed. "Now who has the good plan?" Then he thought. "Unless that's going to cool you down too much."

"You'll have to warm me up again."

"I can do that."

They headed to the pool and Eric grabbed a float for Sookie.

"Eric?"

"Yes min älskade."

"Can I ask you something about Godric?"

"Anything."

"Are you or were you and Godric lovers? I know that sometimes makers and children have that relationship."

"We were, and I mean WERE. The last time I was with Godric in that way was 1979, the kick off to the meetings about the Great Reveal. But I spoke to him in December and told him as long as I have you in my life there would be no other lovers for me."

"Will you miss that?"

He thought for a moment then answered honestly. "No. If you would have asked in 30 years ago if I would have given that up, I would have said never, but with you I don't need that connection."

"You're sure? I don't want you to have regrets. I'm not saying I would approve of you slee . . ."

"Sookie, I'm sure. You don't need to spend another moment worrying about this. Godric is no longer in a lover role for me, he is my father and your soon to be father-in-law."

"I like that."

They floated for a few minutes before Eric decided to bring up what he thought would be a difficult topic. While it would be hard, he also knew that now he could feel Sookie's reactions and send her calm and comfort. "Sookie, I want to ask you something."

"You can ask me anything. You know that."

He touched her face to get her to focus on his words. "Sookie, when you were sick with fever, you cried out some things that I don't think you were making up from delirium."

Her eyes widened the closed tightly. She simply asked. "Bartlett or my mother?"

"Both." She slid off the float to turn away from his gaze. When he reached for her, he felt her stiffen, but he continued. "Sookie. What did your Uncle Bartlett do to you?" To gain some space, some privacy, she started to move away from him, but he would not have it. "Sookie please, I can feel your pain and now shame. Share this with me; let me help you move on." He sent her waves of calm and love.

Tears started to fall from her cheeks and she looked down. He wanted her to turn and face him, but he realized if he had any hope of her sharing, she needed this tiny bit of space. Finally, she spoke. "He molested me."

It was as Eric suspected and his anger threatened to spill from his very being. "And you were 7 or even younger?" He moved to wrap his arms around her again but she shrugged him off.

"I was 5 when it started and it didn't stop until my Gran did something when I was 7."

"Why did it take 2 years for it to stop?"

"That would be part of the problems with my mother. She thought I said things about Bartlett to get attention. She also said I lied about hearing voices to get attention too. She would punish me for both." She said with bitterness. "My father was away working too much and she told me not to tell him or she would hurt me." The tears started. "He never raped me, well, you know. But he did rape my older cousin. I heard it from his head. I could hear..." She gasped for breath. "I could hear what he planned for me before he did it. Sometimes that was the worst part." She broke down for a few moments and finally accepted the comfort of Eric's arms and the soothing emotions he sent her. When she recovered she continued. "Shortly after we moved in with Gran, she announced he was coming over for a visit and I ran to hide. She found me in her closet and when I explained what happened she believed me. Eric, she really believed me." That started another crying jag and he was almost overcome with the emotions rolling through the bond. "When he arrived, she ran him off the property with her gun and told him never to come back. Jason was screaming trying to understand what happened. He was only 9, so we didn't tell him. Gran tried to get me help, spending precious dollars on therapists who really couldn't help." He'd picked her up and moved out of the pool to get her warm and clean her face.

"Why wouldn't therapy help?"

"When you can hear that your therapist is worried about the run in her stockings or her grocery list, it really doesn't help much."

He hadn't thought of that. "Your childhood wasn't easy. Your mother was an ass. Then you didn't date as a teen. The idiots of Bon Temps treated you poorly. As a young adult you worked to provide for your Gran. And most recently, you rescue your brother from an evil vampire."

She cut him off from where he was headed. "And I fell in love. Stop. I am not my past. I don't live it every day. I don't want pity about this Eric. I mean it. Take us for example. I hated you – I mean HATED YOU and I wallowed in my depression at the situation at first. With your and Pam's help, I started to see little things to be happy about and gradually found more to be happy about than be sad. I don't try to make myself happy about Bartlett or my mother, but I try to compartmentalize it as something in my past that I can't let dictate my life. So I repeat, I don't want your pity for this or for my life."

They were settled on a chaise beside the pool, Sookie wrapped in a towel. Eric just held her for a long time as they both thought about what was said. Finally he spoke. "Does he live?"

"I don't want your revenge either." She looked down at their hands while she played with his fingers: A distraction from the uncomfortable conversation.

"I don't know if I can let it go, Sookie."

She sighed. "He's an old man, crippled according to Jason. There is nothing to be gained. Death might be a relief."

"Why would Jason know of his condition? Why was he never told?"

"As I said he was 9, so we didn't tell him. Then when he was older, it was just my wish that he not know. I was . . . I was ashamed."

"I felt that months ago you know, when I asked you about dating and your prior experiences. I felt the shame and I didn't understand it then, just like I don't understand it now. It is this Bartlett that should feel shame."

"I can't explain it, I just feel it. Like I could have prevented it; maybe helped my cousin Hadley."

They were both quiet for a while before Eric finally spoke. "I want to rip your Uncle limb from limb, but I will refrain for now and think about it before I act."

"I guess that's the best I'll get, huh?" He nodded.

"Where is your cousin now? Somehow my investigators never found her when researching your family."

"That's because she is lost to us. We have no idea where she is. She ran off after stealing money from Gran. It breaks my heart that her Mama, my Aunt Linda, had no idea where she was when she died."

Sookie sat quietly again for a few minutes until she started to get chilled from the cold towel. "Can we warm up in a bath?"

"Sure, we should get to the light tight room as it's getting close to dawn anyway." He stood and walked with Sookie to the bedroom. "Thank you for trusting me, for sharing this with me."

"I'm sorry I'm broken. Guess this is the baggage we talked about in November."

"You are not broken; I told you before you are perfect." He kissed her nose and she smiled. "I was right then, and I'm still right now. I always am." She laughed at his arrogance.

A short while later they settled into bed for the day after their bath. "I will see you tonight, wearing nothing but the sun on my skin."

He groaned at the thought. "You make me wish I could dream."

"I'll dream for both of us."


	28. The Queen's Surprise

**Hi all! I finally have most of chapter 38 written, so you get a chapter. This one is a cliffy, so I already decided to post the next one as soon as I do a final edit (meaning, I won't make you wait til I write chapter 39). Remember this kindness when I write stuff in the future that you may not like. **

**Enjoy!**

**Mags**

Chapter 27 - The Queen's Surprise

January 29, 2004

As promised, Sookie did spend the late afternoon doing homework in the sun. It wasn't that warm, but if she stayed in direct sunlight, she was able to tolerate shorts and a tee-shirt. That would have to do for Eric. Originally, she wanted to go out in her bikini, but 65 degrees was still too cold for that. After undressing, she snuggled in and waited for Eric to rise. A half hour later, she was woken up by the sensation of being licked and she giggled. "That's quite a different type of alarm clock."

"I couldn't resist. I love the taste of the sun on your skin." He rolled her under him. "And you came to bed naked. No time wasted on getting you out of clothes."

"It was clothing preservation, I assure you."

He chuckled. "When I rip them, it gives Pam the excuse to replace them. She asked me to be especially hard on your original Wal-Mart purchases." Sookie gasped and was about to yell but he cut her off with a kiss. Things were just heating up when his phone rang. It was Potts' cell phone and he knew he needed to answer it; she wouldn't have called unless it was an emergency.

"Yes."

"You need to get home. Adele had a stroke."

With the latest blood exchange, Sookie heard Potts. "GRAN! Eric, we have to go." She got up and started packing before he even discussed more of the situation with Potts. Once he had the details, he called for the plane. Since they were booked to leave the next night, he had to scramble and eventually Godric came through with a plane that could depart shortly after sunset.

"A car will be here at sunset and Godric will meet us at the plane to see us off." He took her hand as she flitted around the room. "Sookie, I'll pack, you should eat something."

"I can't."

"You won't be any good to Gran if you're sick." When he saw her hesitate, he got a bit more forceful. "Sookie, I mean it. At least go pack something to eat on the plane or I won't take you to the hospital."

"You don't need to be a jerk about it." He kept his response to himself. He didn't like being a 'jerk' but Sookie would truly ignore her own needs in this situation, he had to step in. He packed quickly and found her in the kitchen finishing up a sandwich to pack.

Taking the risk of being affectionate while she was upset, he leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. Seeing she wasn't too mad at him, he spoke first. "I'm sorry I needed to be a 'jerk', but I won't have you getting sick from this situation."

With a big sigh, she replied. "I understand. I'm just really upset and I need to get to her."

"The car is here, let's go."

When they took off, Sookie realized it was just minutes after dark and she was grateful to both Eric and Godric for getting everything situated so quickly. She leaned into Eric and simply said, "Thank you."

"Min älskade, it was nothing. You need to be with your Gran."

"What happens during the day?" She inquired while finishing her sandwich.

"I'll have all the details when we land. Pam is working on it."

"Do you know any more? We rushed to get out of there so I don't know much."

He took a moment to consider how to tell her what he'd learned. Dawn had been killed, much like the other woman Sookie mentioned and Jason was in custody. He was sure this had caused a reaction with Adele that led to the stroke. Did Sookie need to know, yes, but should she know now? He took too long.

"You know something."

"Sookie, much has happened in Bon Temps since we left for Dallas." He moved her to his lap to continue and she immediately became nervous. "Sookie, Dawn was murdered, strangled like that other woman."

"Maudette Pickins. Oh God, how is Jason I wonder. Jeez, now that I think of it, he dated both of them, Maudette many months ago, obviously."

"Sookie, Jason was arrested for the murders."

"WHAT!? Oh my God, did that cause the stroke?"

"I'm not sure, but my guess is it had some impact. Your Gran had a hemorrhagic stroke which can be caused by uncontrolled high blood pressure. From what Potts said, blood pressure can go up from stressful circumstances."

"What am I going to do? How do I help Jason?"

"I have a lawyer on it already. Well, Pam does." He cuddled her closer. "Sookie, you have more questions than we have answers right now. Can I convince you to nap or at least relax during the flight?" He moved to put her head on the crook of his neck and he started to rub her back. "You'll likely want to stay awake to meet with doctors tomorrow."

"I'm going to be able to stay with Gran at the hospital?"

"You'll have guards, but yes, you can stay. I'll rest at the farmhouse to be close." He could feel her relax, he hadn't guessed that she was concerned about that. To him it was simple, she needed to be at the hospital; it was his job to make it so. "But Sookie, I want you to promise me you'll eat and nap when you can, and tomorrow night, you come back to the farmhouse to sleep – even if just for a few hours."

"I can do that, especially since I didn't think I'd be able to spend the day with Gran. She's all alone."

"Sookie, her guards are with her now."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Wait, Elvis?"

"She figured that out?" He chuckled, and so did Sookie while she nodded. "You can't call him Elvis though, it's Bubba. He can become upset and erratic if he's reminded. It's not Bubba at the hospital though; he stays in the shadows mostly. Indira is there now."

"Will you tell me about him while we fly?"

"Only if you at least close your eyes for the story."

She complied and he spoke in low tones while caressing her gently. It worked since she was asleep and got at least a short 20 minute nap in. Eric knew she would need it for the long night and day ahead.

A car met them at the airport; the driver was Bubba and Eric was happy that he'd been able to tell Sookie not to call him Elvis. Even through her grief, Sookie was his ever well mannered Southern Belle and she greeted Bubba warmly. The nerves he'd seen before her nap returned on the way to the hospital and Eric's leg was almost bouncing from Sookie's nervous energy.

They were greeted by Pam who guided them to Gran's room. Dr. Ludwig was there as well and Eric was surprised that Pam thought to call her. Sookie ran to hold Gran's hand while Eric took control of the updates. He turned to Ludwig. "What can you tell me?"

"The stroke is from a hemorrhage which hasn't stopped yet"

"Will vampire blood do anything?" Eric asked.

"Yes, I believe so. It will repair the hemorrhage."

"Can you help to handle this discreetly?"

"Sure, put Pam at the door." He turned to Pam, but she was already there.

"I want to heal her." Pam said.

"You don't need . . ."

She cut him off. "I want to do it. She's . . . Just let me do it."

He nodded and took a post at the door with Indira.

Sookie looked up from her Gran to see Ludwig taking blood from Pam. "What's happening?"

Ludwig explained. "Sookie, the bleeding in her brain hasn't stopped. Pam has volunteered to heal your Gran."

Sookie reached up to Pam to grasp her hand. "Thank you Pam. I'm grateful."

"Sookie," Ludwig continued. "It won't return her to normal; it will stop the continuation of damage. After she's woken, we can discuss if she wants more to help with the rehabilitation."

"I understand. Are you working as her doctor?"

"Just consulting. We'll meet Gran's doctor in the morning."

Ludwig took a vial of blood from Pam and added it slowly to the IV tube. She monitored the bleed with a portable MRI and discontinued adding Pam's blood to the IV as soon as the brain bleed stopped.

Sookie held vigil all through the night by her Gran's side with Pam by Sookie's side. Eric, meanwhile, worked with Desmond to secure a trial lawyer for Jason and worked to get him released on bail. When dawn approached and he knew he would not succeed before he had to rest, he left the situation with Desmond and Potts. Alcide arrived an hour before daybreak to serve as a guard for the day. He instructed him that Sookie needed to eat and nap some point during the day. She promised to comply again and he left for the farmhouse with Pam.

When they were secure in the light time room, Pam brought up the emails they received during the night. "What are you going to do?"

"We have to go Pam. I'll need to leave right after I see Gran at the hospital. At least my time off was registered, so I have some buffer tomorrow night since they believe I still need to return to Shreveport from Dallas."

"Sookie's going to freak out."

"I know, but I decided to wait to tell her in the hopes that Gran will improve during the day."

"We don't need to pack at least; we can go to the hospital right away and then leave from there."

"Fucking Soldiers of the Light. I can't believe we need to meet on this situation again already. At least I can file her asset paperwork which will be a relief. Desmond also believes now is the time to file the appeal for Sookie's release."

"Speaking of release, what about Jason?"

"Potts is going to stay at the station tomorrow with the trial lawyer until he's released. They don't have anything concrete – just his association with the women."

"What a cluster."

"Agreed."

OOOoooOOOooo

"Gran, are you awake?" She could see a tiny nod from her Gran. "Alcide, get someone!" She screamed towards her guard and friend. "Gran, I've . . . I've been so worried." Sookie choked out a sob when she felt Gran squeeze her hand slightly.

A nurse came rushing in to check her patient so Sookie moved out of the way to provide her room. She looked worriedly from the end of the bed and Alcide came to stand behind her. He simply put a hand on her shoulder, knowing anything further would only infuriate Northman since he could smell they had bonded. In the years he had worked for or with Eric, he had grown a healthy respect for him. Sookie also seemed happy with Eric and that was all he needed to ensure he and his pack would take their guard roles seriously. They waited for Gran's doctor and Ludwig to join the nurse and he noticed them checking out Gran and had her moving her eyes and trying to talk. He could hear the woman speaking to Ludwig and he thought that was positive. A strange chair was brought in and they sat her up to try feeding her too. When she finished her examinations, Alcide saw something he rarely if ever saw: Ludwig smiled at Sookie. "Sookie, this is very encouraging. She can speak and not only can it be heard, it makes sense. She can swallow food and liquids, both eyes can track; she can smile and use all the muscles in her face. You need to realize that's very hopeful." She took a breath and Sookie knew the bad news was coming. "Her left leg and arm seem numb and will require further testing and likely rehabilitation, but Sookie, her brain function appears to be fully intact. That's really the most important thing."

She knelt and collapsed into Ludwig's arms. Under other circumstances it would have been funny, but nobody said anything. "Sookie, your Gran is awake, you should pay attention to her, not your doctor."

Sookie snorted out a laugh but rose to go to her Gran. "Gran. How are you?"

"Some parts are good." She looked to her left. "Some need work."

"We'll take care of all those parts. I'm just happy you're with me."

Sookie stayed while some specialists from the stroke and rehab team evaluated and made plans for Gran. She was grateful that Dr. Ludwig remained for all the visits and helped clarify the next steps. Gran and the doctor had become friendly over the past few weeks so Gran was also happy to have her with them.

"Sookie?" Sookie turned to see Arlene, a waitress with whom she had worked at Merlotte's standing in the doorway.

"Arlene!" She moved to hug her. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, we heard about your Gran, and since Jason's in jail and you don't come around anymore I was afraid nobody was here to sit with your Gran. I can see I was mistaken, I'm really glad to see you." She turned to Alcide. "Is this the new man I heard about?"

"No, this is my friend Alcide. Eric will be back later tonight."

"Tonight?" Her face fell. "It's true then? You're a fangbanger? Are you with that Vamp that moved into the Compton house?"

Seeing Sookie's pain at this woman's words Alcide stepped in. "Lady, I don't know who you are, but you're out of line. Sookie is in a committed relationship with someone, she's no fangbanger." He checked on Sookie's reaction and when she didn't get upset at his handling of the situation, he continued. "I'm sure you intended to help, and that's appreciated, but clearly, your attitude is upsetting Sookie in an already difficult situation. I need to ask you to leave. NOW." Arlene huffed and left. She really only wanted to check in on Adele and the visit did spiral a bit out of control but that couldn't be helped. Finding out the rumors were true about Sookie was upsetting and she would find a way to get to her former co-worker to help her break up with the vamp. A good girl like Sookie had no business with vampires. Meanwhile Alcide was sorry he'd let in a seemingly innocent visitor that had really upset his charge, but he would just be more vigilant in the future. He also noted the mention of a vampire that moved into Bon Temps and would ask Northman about that later.

After a few hours of doctor meetings and time with Gran, Sookie started rubbing her eyes. Ludwig expressed concern and called Alcide over. "Alcide, can you take Sookie home for a few hours? I can see she's in pain, the hospital environment can't be good for her."

"No, I want to stay with Gran."

Gran spoke. "Sookie, come back after sunset with Eric. I need to rest myself and you know Peter is outside the door. He can come in and sit with me. With all these guards I feel like I have added dozens of grand babies." She chuckled.

At hearing his name (Were hearing being so good and all) Peter stepped into the room. He had been concerned for Gran and was pleased to see her. "Sookie, Gran is right. I'll stay right here until you return with Northman. Go on."

"I can't nap. I should really find out about Jason."

Alcide provided an update since Potts had been in contact with him all day. They were set to see the judge for bail at 2PM and Eric had provided for any amount that needed to be paid to get Jason out. He knew exactly what she was going to say next, he had predicted correctly of course. "I want to be at the hearing."

"NO. If for no other reason than the fact that Northman will have my head for taking you there instead of the nap you promised him you would take."

Ludwig had been going through her medical bag discretely, so Sookie was surprised by the pinch to her arm. When she turned to the doctor, Ludwig had an empty syringe in her hand. "She'll go out quickly, get her in the car before you need to carry her out of the hospital to explain it."

Alcide moved her out of the room so quickly, she couldn't even yell at Ludwig for the needle, but she did hear her Gran laughing.

OOOoooOOOooo

She heard voices as she started coming back to consciousness. "When will he be here?"

'_Jeez_,' Sookie thought._ 'I must have really slept long if Pam and Eric are already up and talking in the kitchen.'_

She could hear Pam answer Eric. "He went right to the hospital; we'll meet him there when Sookie is awake. Potts warned me, he's consumed with anger right now."

"Sookie's awake. I'll go see to her. I'll send you a text to confirm tomorrow as we discussed."

She waited for him to enter her room and gave him a small smile. "Hi."

"How are you?"

"Groggy and a little mad." He laughed at her. "So, you were told what that elf did to me?"

"I heard you needed it, so I approve." He laughed again at her indignant face. "How about some chicken soup before we go to the hospital?" She started to speak and he cut her off. "You will eat before we go, and the soup is ready to be heated. Now, what was your answer?"

"FINE, soup it is you high handed jerk!"

He bit back his response knowing Sookie was still consumed with stress and just focused on the task at hand. "I'll heat it while you wash up."

"I really need a shower, but a quick wash will need to do."

She finished her soup quickly; they locked the house and got into the car. Pam joined them to drive while Sookie and Eric were in the backseat. She noticed a pointed look between Pam and Eric then she felt apprehension from Eric. "What's going on?"

"Sookie." He took a hand. "Andre has ordered Pam and me to New Orleans for another Sheriff meeting on the Soldiers of the Light situation. I know I will be gone tonight and well into tomorrow night. I don't know more about the plans at this point."

"Fuck Eric. I need you here. Jason, Gran . . . it's too much."

"I know, and I'm sorry. In actuality, I should have left last night to be there at first dark tonight, but our planned get away gave me some wiggle room. I need to get you settled with Gran and Ivan who will be staying with you at the hospital; then we need to head to New Orleans."

They had arrived at the hospital and Eric helped her from the car. Ivan was standing at the entrance, waiting for their arrival. "Good evening Ivan Brognack, you remember my bonded, Sookie Stackhouse?"

"Yes, Mistress, good evening."

Sookie's eyes went wide at the word mistress, but Eric sent her a warning through the bond and she remained quiet. "Ivan will stay outside the door to your Gran's room and will take you home when you're ready. He'll need to stay at the farmhouse until I return. Thalia is at Fangtasia filling in for Pam and me." She looked to protest and he said. "This is nonnegotiable, Sookie. You need to be guarded at night with a vampire, Weres during the day."

Eric, Pam and Sookie entered Gran's room and Sookie smiled seeing that Jason was in the room. "Jason, you're out!"

He moved to hug his sister then he reached for Eric's hand. "Eric, I'm grateful for your help in getting me released. Your lawyers kicked butt."

Eric took Jason's hand and accepted his thanks, surprising Sookie and Pam. Pam had already moved to Gran's side to squeeze her hand. "I'm glad to see you awake Gran. I was worried."

"I've got a lot more work to do here Pam, I'm not going anywhere." She called to Sookie. "Sookie, we were so busy with doctors today, come here so I can see that ring."

Pam's eyes were wide since she hadn't seen the ring or even knew about it yet. She coo'd with Gran and Potts when Sookie held out her hand and she gave Eric a nod of approval.

Jason was quite curious, "What's that fer?" He looked between Eric and Sookie. "Y'all got engaged?"

Sookie looked to Eric to explain. A blood bond was not something that she wanted to explain to Jason. Eric took the lead. "In a way Jason, yes. The US doesn't recognize it yet, but that's the intent."

"Ya didn't ask me first."

Gran replied. "No Jason, he asked me." Pam, Sookie and Jason all yelled 'what' at the same time. Gran just chuckled. "I'm the matriarch of the family, he asked me and I gave my blessing."

Eric could feel the love coming from Sookie and the amusement from Pam. Jason just looked constipated, like he wanted to say something but nothing would come out. Unfortunately, he needed to get going as much as he wanted to stay. "Sookie, Pam and I need to head out."

"I understand. Text me when you can." She walked over to hug him goodbye and whispered. "I love you."

He shocked her by responding "I love you too" out loud and in public. He was a bit louder and added. "Stay with your guards. I don't trust the meeting invitation and Alcide informed me there is a new vampire in Bon Temps that HAS NOT reported to me yet."

"That's why Thalia's at Fangtasia?" He nodded. "In case he reports in?"

"Yes, that's why you MUST stay with Ivan; he's old enough to fight if needed."

"I get it, I do."

OOOoooOOOooo

Pam sped to New Orleans as she did the last time, enabling them to make the trip in only 3 hours; Eric worked as he could on his Blackberry. He had updates from Cataliades about Jason's legal troubles; luckily they didn't have any physical evidence on Jason. There was an old recording of Jason and Maudette having sex, but that only proved a relationship from last summer. Dawn's apartment had Jason's fingerprints, but since he had moved her boxes in just a few weeks ago, that was easily explained. Desmond was not worried, so Eric wasn't either. He texted Sookie a summary. He also had information from Indira on her investigation of the new Bon Temps vampire: Bill Compton. He cursed and Pam inquired about this mood. "The new vampire is Bill Compton."

"From the palace?"

"Yes."

"That's not a coincidence."

"No, it's not. Guess when he arrived?" She looked at him blankly. "The extra evening I needed to spend in New Orleans the last time we were summoned."

"Again, not a coincidence."

"I'm calling Ivan now."

"When are you registering Sookie as your bonded asset?"

"As soon as Cataliades arrives and we have a moment outside the Sheriff meetings."

They stopped at Eric's New Orleans home so Pam could change and she noted to add some suits to the chamber in Bon Temps should something similar to this occur again. Once at the palace, they were ushered into a room where the Sheriff meeting had already started. Each area was providing an update, and Eric seamlessly provided his. Even with being out of town for a few nights, he was further ahead than any of the other Sheriff's in his captures and research. The Queen announced she had another meeting so they ended the meeting with the typical palace ceremony and agreed to meet at midnight the next night as Andre had some plans for earlier in the evening that could not be changed. Eric suspicions grew.

While he waited to see if Catiliades would be arriving soon, he chatted with Rasul. "Rasul, how is your Cynthia?"

He noticed a brief second of pain on Rasul's face before he steeled himself. "We have parted ways."

"Were you bonded?"

"No, thankfully or we would still be connected even though she wanted to move on."

"May I ask what happened?"

"A few of her friends are married and have babies now, two others just got engaged and were planning weddings, you know - human weddings."

"Did she not know the limits to your relationship before you made her a companion? You also could have a family via insemination or adoption. Did she not consider that?"

"She understood being a vampire's companion; it wasn't until those around her started living through some of those limits that she realized she was settling for me. She also said she wanted a 'normal family' by birth." He shook his head a bit, a huge emotional show for a vampire; then he continued. "But it matters not now, as I said, she's moved on and I moved back into the palace."

Eric only nodded at Rasul's comments. As vampires, he certainly wasn't going to get any further into the relationship or the possible emotions. As it is, he asked far too much about the situation than would be normal. He had to admit, Cynthia's change of heart worried him. '_Would Sookie do the same thing? She was so sad about Theresa and her wanting a baby. Would she actually leave me?_' The thought caused him a pang in his chest, but he ignored it and called for Pam.

"Pam, unfortunately, Cataliades had not yet arrived, so I can't meet with the Queen about the asset contract. Let's go to my home for the rest of the night." Pam noted he was grumpy and she couldn't blame them. He needed to leave Sookie when she wanted him near so he could attend about 30 minutes of a sheriff meeting. On top of that, she had no idea the effect the conversation with Rasul had on Eric. When they arrived at the New Orleans home, he went to his office so she suspected he was going to call Sookie.

"Ivan, I need you to be extra vigilant. You can bring in Indira if needed."

"I have this covered. You have Indira investigating the murder now, right?"

"Yes, she is working with the local human sheriff since the girls both had fang marks. I need to keep this contained."

"I don't need Indira, this Bill Compton is an infant, if he's going to try something; he will fail."

"He better fail. But be ready for anything. Remember, Bubba is in the woods if you need him."

"Understood."

"Check in if you see or hear anything."

He hung up and called Sookie. "Hello min älskade."

"Hi there. How was your trip?

"Pam drove, the trip was very fast."

"You know you drive just as fast. Hey! Thanks for the text about Jason, which seems like good news."

"It is, and I have Indira working with your sheriff Bud as well."

"Who is with Gran?"

"I have Weres with her at the hospital. How is she?"

"She's going to need rehab to walk easily again and use her left arm, but otherwise, she's doing really well. Thanks for calling Dr. Ludwig, she was a great help translating the medical terms for us and pushing our wants."

"That was all Pam; she thought of it and called her while we were flying."

He wondered if he should tell her about his concerns and decided it was necessary for her to understand the threat while he was away. "Sookie, you need to be aware of some things I have learned while we traveled to New Orleans."

"This is one of those, I'm not going to like it discussions, right?"

"Yes. . . . Sookie, that new vampire that moved into Bon Temps?"

"Yeah, you told me to stay with my guards because of him."

"Well, I learned more. His name is Bill Compton and he moved into the house up the hill from yours."

"Jesse Compton's house? Huh, that's the guy that died when you went to that Christmas party at the Queen's – shit that timing is convenient." Eric recalled that the Bert's were missing at the same time. Now he was thinking over whether they had killed this Jesse Compton when Sookie broke him out of his contemplation. "Do you know anything about this vampire?"

"I do. Up until he moved; he was part of Sophie-Anne's court. He also arrived in Bon Temps the night I was asked to stay at the palace even though the other sheriff's had been dismissed."

His little strategist did not fail again. "That's not coincidence."

"No min kära, it's not. Also, when he died, two key vampires were missing from the palace. Do you know what killed him?"

"I don't."

"I'll investigate, but until I do, Sookie . . ."

She interrupted, knowing what he was going to say. "I'll be perfect. I won't go off the property without my guards – day or night."

"That's why I told you." He wanted to change topics and take her mind off any threats so she could sleep. "Now, how do you feel about phone sex?"

"ERIC! I'm too tired for anything now."

"I know, I can feel it."

"It's weird; I can feel you too all the way from here. Did I tell you I can feel a buzz during the day, for lack of a better word, it's where you would be in my head, only instead of emotions, it's just a buzz."

"It's different for me because you dream. I sometimes get that buzz, but if you're actively dreaming and having an emotional response, I can feel that too. But I can still tell if you are dreaming or awake and experiencing the emotion."

"The bond is like a new toy to play with."

"I'd rather play with you."

"Me too."

The continued to talk until Desmond had arrived at Eric's to plan their meeting. He didn't tell her about the meeting with the Queen to designate her as his asset. She needed to sleep and she already had too many stressors to deal with at the moment. "I need to go; I will leave you some texts for tomorrow, but you need to sleep."

I do need to sleep. I'll text you during the day for when you rise. She could feel he was stressed through the bond so she decided to help as best she could. "Good night cuddle bear." She got the laugh she expected before he wished her goodnight.

OOOoooOOOooo

Alcide met Sookie when she woke late in the morning and drove her to the hospital. There, the day progressed pretty much the same as the day before. Some rehab for Gran, more tests and some time with Dr. Ludwig to ensure they were getting the information they needed and their requests and needs met by the hospital staff. Dr. Ludwig didn't have privileges at the hospital, but she seemed to have pull and nobody questioned her demands. Since Sookie was so grateful to Ludwig for her help, she kept her anger about the sleeping shot contained for the visit. In the late afternoon, Sookie began to tire and Gran insisted that Alcide take her home for the night. She tried to fight but a look from Gran cut her off and caused Alcide to laugh.

"What?" She asked as they walked out of the hospital.

"I love that your Gran can cut YOU off with a look, since you usually cut all of US off with that same look."

"Keep it up, fido."

"Let's just get you home. I have a date with Debbie tonight after Ivan relieves me."

"I'm so sorry to be such a bother. What about your work?"

"I have plenty of coverage at work, though tomorrow I have some meetings and you will be with Potts and Peter at the hospital."

They stopped for take out on the way home and it was just sunset when they arrived. Sookie said goodnight to Alcide as Ivan walked out of the house to take his post. As she ate her dinner she sent text updates to Eric about her day. He called her while they drove to the palace. "Min älskade, how are you this evening?"

"Ready for a nap. What's your schedule for the night?"

"I'm meeting your Uncle Des and the Queen to file your asset papers." He felt her panic right away. "Sookie, this is to protect you. You're already my companion. We are bonded. The Queen will respect this."

"How can you be sure?"

"Sookie, if anything happens, I will fight for you. Please relax."

"I don't think that's possible. Call me as soon as you can, or at least text me."

"I will. We are almost at the garage, I must go; I don't want to be on the phone with you while I park. You have your nap and I'll try to reach you later."

"Ok, later – you promise?"

"I do."

They arrived and Eric greeted Desmond in the waiting area. Pam was planning to visit the donor room before the general meeting started. The Queen and two of her children met Eric and Desmond in a small conference room and after his greeting, Eric set out his agenda for the meeting. "Good evening your Majesty. Where is Andre tonight?"

She smiled. "He promised me a surprise. He was like a child at Christmas he was so giddy, so I allowed his errand to hold off our Sheriff meeting."

"I can't picture a giddy Andre, so I'll just take your word for it." She nodded. "Your Majesty, I have a request to file a personal asset tonight and a request related to a crime in my area."

"Proceed."

"I have the contract here for Sookie Stackhouse . . ."

"WHAT?!"

"Your Majesty?"

"Your asset is Sookie Stackhouse?"

"Yes, she is my bonded companion."

"BONDED!?"

"Yes your Majesty."

She paused for a moment then here eyes widened. "You're bonded to your landscaper?"

Now he was nervous. "You seem to know Miss Stackhouse, may I ask how?"

"Her cousin is my bonded."

Now it was Eric's turn. "HADLEY?!"

"Yes." Sophie-Anne chuckled. "Quite a coincidence."

"Yes. Sookie and her family are heartbroken over Hadley's disappearance."

"You know Linda? Adele?"

"I'm sorry to report that Linda passed away from cancer. Adele is very much a part of Sookie's life though she just suffered a stroke. Hadley disappeared while addicted to drugs some time ago."

"Hadley will be upset about her mother. I found Hadley while she was on drugs. With rehab, she no longer does any drugs. In fact, she's quite healthy. How is Adele fairing after the stroke?"

"Unfortunately, it just happened. I needed to leave Sookie only 24 hours after the stroke to be here. All we know so far is that she will need rehab for her left arm and leg."

"Let's get your paperwork completed then, so you can get home."

"Yes, after the Sheriff's meeting."

"No, Adele and your Sookie are more important." He almost fell over from that shock. "Your Majesty is most gracious."

"Would it be possible for Pam to report on your area, or is she also as attached to the family?" Eric looked up with a bit of shock and wondered if his attachment showed that easily. "Eric, I'm quite attached to my Hadley. I can the same in your face when you speak about your Sookie."

He nodded his acknowledgement to her comments before answering about Pam. "She certainly can report for me, but I won't lie, the attachment is there as well. Adele has become Gran to her. When the brain bleed was still continuing, Pam donated her blood to stop it."

"Very well, leave your report with me and I'll handle it." Again, he was in shock. She turned to the attorney. "You have the contract?"

He presented the contract and she reviewed it. "Miss Stackhouse's ability will be available to me I presume?"

"Yes your Majesty. I've noted the rates and other stipulations for that on page 4."

"Yes, and as your bonded, you have ensured you would travel with her at all times." He nodded. "Tell me more about the telepathy. How does it work?"

"She can hear humans, individually, in groups and at a good distance. The telepathy is always 'on' meaning she must build shields in her mind to stop it. Vampires provide relief for her; the theory being that we have no brain waves. Daemons are also quiet from words, but she can sense their emotions. Weres are tricky, though she's noticed an improvement. We aren't sure it it's my blood or the increased exposure to them."

"Very interesting." She read more. "The protection section includes her family and any offspring. Something to share?"

"No your majesty. It's just a precaution. Something learned related to a recent protection order."

"Sophie-Anne nodded and continued to review the contract details and finally declared. "I agree to the contract and her rate schedule for work within Louisiana. You own Miss Stackhouse and any vampires wishing to use her talents must work through you." She turned to Cataliades. "I want a stipulation that all out of state work must be approved by my office." The daemon revised and printed the new contract. Sophie-Anne reviewed the addition, signed it immediately and then applied her royal stamp. Eric breathed a sigh of relief. It was done, Sophie-Anne was not upset about the bonding and Sookie was his protected asset.

"And your next contract item?"

"The next is a stay of punishment if you will." Sophie-Anne just raised her eyebrows in question. "It too is for Sookie."

"You have my curiosity."

"The drainers that tried to capture me - from a few weeks ago?" She nodded. "Well, I had additional help in my escape. Sookie was taken by the drainers first and when I had been subdued by a silver net, she stabbed one and killed him."

"What does this have to do with a crime in your area?"

"Sookie is currently my prisoner for life for a crime her brother committed against a vampire: A kidnapping and draining."

"This sounds like fang soap opera. Why is she serving for her brother?"

"Sookie willingly offered herself in exchange for her brother since Jason's girlfriend was expecting a baby"

"Interesting, and you claim she saved her life."

"I claim she acted to take down one of the drainers. I am fully aware that my child was on the way and the drainers would not have been successful. However, I also claim that Sookie was unaware of that fact and her act was intended to save my life."

"When did you take Sookie as a prisoner?"

"October."

Now she was angry. "You've had a telepath available to you since October and you kept it from me!?"

"She has been with me since October, but she kept her telepathy hidden until this drainer issue occurred."

"Hidden from you?"

"She's been in almost complete seclusion in my home. She can't read daemons or vampires, so the opportunity for her to read minds was minimal."

She stared at Eric trying to read HIS mind to ensure he was telling the truth, and after a few moments he was satisfied. "Very well. Even without the killing of the drainer, I agree with the stay of punishment. She will remain your asset, of course, but the requirement of imprisonment is removed. I take it she will continue to have guards for her protection?"

"Of course your M . . ." Before he finished his sentence, he was overcome with panic. So much panic, he couldn't keep his control.

"Eric?"

"It's Sookie. Something is wrong."

Sophie-Anne turned to her vampire children in the room. "Sigebert, find Pam and bring her here. Wybert, call your brother Andre, I want to know what he's up to." She had a bad feeling. She looked at Eric after her children had left the room. He was on his phone. She noticed the daemon was also on the phone.

"What did you see? …. How long ago was that? … Work with Indira and report back when you can. ….. No Bubba, you did the right thing, you would have been killed if you approached them. … I'm sure, because now you're able to report what you saw and we can follow-up." He hung up.

"She was taken by two vampires. Her guard, Ivan, was beheaded by a female vampire. Based on the description, I would say it was Bill Compton and his maker. Lorena was older than Ivan and therefore faster to take him out. Ivan was distracted by a human intruder on the property so Lorena was able to take his head. Bubba says Ivan clearly stated she was bonded to me. Indira was notified by the local human sheriff and is already giving chase with their assistance."

He noticed Sophie-Anne pale even further. "Your Majesty?"

"Bill left the palace stating he wanted to mainstream in his former human home. His descendant just recently passed away and the home deferred to Bill."

"That home is up the hill from the Stackhouse residence. Is there a reason Bill would want Sookie?"

"Andre and I were aware she was special from Hadley. I will admit we wanted to pursue her, but we didn't know she was your companion or your bonded. Though Andre should be aware since he processes those contracts."

Eric snorted.

"Something to add?"

"Rasul processes those contra . . ." He was cut off again by another burst of terror from Sookie, then nothing.

"Eric?"

"I hope she's only knocked out, the bond is empty."

Cataliades added, "I've called my nieces, they are both are formidable fighters and are at your disposal."

Eric responded first. "Thank you Desmond. Give the contact information to Pam when she arrives."

The Queen changed the orders. "Desmond, have your nieces come to the palace. I want them here and ready if they are needed."

"Understood."

Pam arrived in a panic and Eric had calmed enough to fill her in. Just as he was finishing, Wybert returned stating he could not raise Andre on the phone. Sophie-Anne just sighed. "He's fucking then; only time he won't answer his phone." She paused for a moment and focused. "Yes, fucking." She cursed Andre in her head. '_At least he didn't kidnap her personally, but I think he was involved._'

Eric's phone rang. "Northman. … Understood. …. Yes if you can."

"They took her on a private plane. Indira is going to try and get the flight plan. She already has the plane information."

Pam offered, "I just called Alcide; he has resources if we need him. He's going to the farmhouse to find anything helpful. Potts is going to meet him there; they will coordinate security for Gran and Jason as needed."

"Thank you Pam." He turned to Sophie-Anne. "If the other Sheriffs are here, perhaps we should hold the meeting, Pam can represent Area 5."

"They're all here; I saw them in the donor room."

"Very well, Eric I'll leave you and Desmond here with Wybert and Sigebert at your disposal."

"Thank you your Majesty."

OOOoooOOOooo

Meanwhile in Bon Temps:

Sookie had just finished her shower and changed into pajamas when she heard a commotion outside. Moving to the front door, she peeked out of her curtains and saw Ivan fighting with someone in the yard. The man being subdued by Ivan was yelling at Sookie. "WHORE of Satan. You should die like the others."

She listened to his head for a few moments and realized he was the killer; she yelled to Ivan. "Take him to the police. This can prove Jason's innocence. I'll call them with details."

"No, call the sheriff and have them come here to pick him up."

"I don't want him to get away."

"He won't."

She called for Bud and he told Sookie he would send a car to the farmhouse. She waited on the porch while Ivan held a snarling Rene towards the end of the driveway. She was so preoccupied listening into Rene; she didn't hear the other movement from the cemetery. The next few actions occurred before Sookie could even realize what was happening. She was attacked from the side by a vampire; the breath knocked out of her. When she got her bearings, she saw it was a smaller dark haired vampire and she tried to speak, but before she could finish her sentence about being bonded, she was gagged by a dark haired female vampire. She had no chance to further inform him that she was bonded to Eric. Ivan tried to approach the vampire, but was told that they were under orders from the palace to take the woman. When Ivan tried to protest again and tell them Sookie was bonded, the dark female descended on him and sliced off his head with a sword Sookie hadn't seen yet. Taking the opportunity he'd been given, Rene ran from the driveway and down the street. Sookie had been struggling while being held by the male, but she stopped when the female returned. "Your head will be next if you don't calm yourself."

With no other option, she did the only thing she could: she flooded the bond with panic. She could feel him respond and she relaxed remembering that he could find her anywhere. All she needed to do was endure until he got to her. "I'll get the car." the female said and she ran off towards the cemetery.

That left her with the male who had finished tying her up and was now touching her face. "Oh my Sookeh, you sure are a darling little thing, and you smell sweet too. Maybe my maker will let me enjoy you while we head to New Orleans."

Sookie's eyes widened. She realized she'd never had anyone attempt to rape her as an adult, and now this was the third time it was a possibility in just a few short months. The only hope she had was he mentioned they were headed to New Orleans. If that was true, it was closer to Eric. She decided she could survive until Eric found her. That's what she needed to do: Survive. The car pulled up and the male lifted her into the backseat; then he got in with her. Her panic filled the bond and he sent more love, she figured he was trying to calm her. She heard Detective Andy scream at the two vampires but the male shut the door and they just drove off. She hoped Andy would follow or send Indira to help.

The female ordered the man to call the plane and tell them they were on their way. '_SHIT, a plane ride? They'd be able to do more to me on a plane_.'

The drive wasn't long and they were at a private airfield. After they stopped, the female passed something over the backseat. Sookie caught a glimpse of a cloth and immediately thought of the chloroform she used to subdue the guard at Eric's warehouse a few months ago. The male placed the cloth over her head and she realized she'd just been given them same treatment right before she blacked out.


	29. 38 Nights

**See, it's all better in just a few words. . .I hope you aren't disappointed that this was over quickly - never fear, I have more drama up my sleeve.  
**

**It'll be a few days before I post again now that I resolved the cliffy - I need to finish chapter 39 (the good news is I wrote about a 1/3rd of it so hopefully I can be quick and it's more of a fluffy feel good one so it should be easy to write.)**

**Enjoy!**

**~mags**

Chapter 28 – 38 Nights

January 31, 2004

"I can feel that Andre is returning to the Palace." Sophie-Anne announced when she entered the meeting room where Eric had sat for the past hour waiting for news. Sophie-Anne kept to herself that she called him back from his fucking to get some answers. She was pretty sure he was involved, likely the leader but wanted to keep that information to herself for the moment. Indira was unable to find any flight information as the plane took off from a small private airfield with no staff onsite. She had gone to the Shreveport Airport to meet with air traffic control but she'd had no luck so far, even with the Bon Temps Sheriff helping.

"He certainly enjoyed himself."

"He always does." Her attention perked up. "He's here now."

They heard a commotion from down the hall and walked out to investigate. "You idiot, she's bonded to Northman, you can't smell that!?"

"You told me to capture her, I did."

"You BIT HER?! She was meant to be a gift for your Queen and you bit her?"

"Have you tasted her? She's irresistible." Andre knew his happy surprise for the Queen was about to become a cluster. He had no idea that the girl, this landscaper he set out to capture as a gift to Sophie-Anne, was bonded to Northman, nothing from the information he'd gathered indicated they were more than an occasional date. The bonding was obvious from her smell, yet Bill and his idiot maker had ignored that.

Eric ran down the hall to see Sookie limp in Bill Compton's arms. "Give her to me."

Bill actually hesitated until Sophie-Anne joined them. "Bill, give the girl to Northman."

As soon as Sookie was handed to Eric, Sophie-Anne shocked the group with her next orders. "Guards! I want Andre, Compton and Ball taken to holding."

"My Queen, I was operating under orders." Bill was the only one that whined; the others being mature enough to know they were just plain screwed.

Sophie-Anne indulged him by responding. "You were ordered to kidnap a bonded companion? You were ordered to end another vampire in our state?"

Bill, the idiot that he was, stood tall and answered. "I was ordered by Andre to return to my home in Bon Temps, summon my maker and appear to mainstream until he called me to capture the asset. I was assured by Andre they he'd done reconnaissance in identifying the asset and I was to just take it."

Eric seethed. "Did you bother to listen to what this woman or the vampire tried to tell you? If you did, you would know that both tried to tell you she was bonded to me even if you couldn't smell it."

"How do you even know what went on?"

"There was another vampire on the property you asshole. Bubba called me after you left." Turning to Sophie-Anne, he requested. "Is there a guest room I can use?"

"Certainly, but I'll need to go with you, I want to ensure we document any wounds and the details of her captivity once she's conscious." She looked at her three vampires with the guards. "So I can be sure the punishments fit the crime of a registered asset and bonded companion of the Sheriff of Area 5."

The vampires paled at her words, but Eric was focused on Sookie. She was certainly alive, but he could see bite marks on her arms, and who knew where else. He would quickly find all of them before he healed her. He and Pam followed Sophie-Anne to a palace guest room and Pam went to the bathroom to gather some towels to lie on the bed for Sookie. Eric hated that he needed to examine and heal her with an audience, but it was a necessity. The good news was that Sophie-Anne was clearly on his side (or putting on a terrific pretense) and she wanted to know what happened. This was just not how he imagined the introduction between Sookie and his Queen. With Pam's help, they identified 19 different bite marks and bruising on her arms and ankles from her ropes. At least there was no evidence of anything else. With the check-up complete, he bit his finger and put it in her mouth while holding her in a semi-sitting position. He thought for a moment about their first night in his house when he roused her after she fainted. How different things were between them, but how violent Sookie's life had become since she met him. He sighed at the thought while he stroked her neck to encourage swallowing.

After a few seconds, her eyes fluttered open and the bond opened up. She was shocked to be in Eric's arms and once that reality settled in, she reached up to hold him around the neck and started crying. "Pam, can you get something for Sookie to eat and drink?"

"Yes Master."

Without realizing it, Sookie's movement caused her towel to move and she exposed herself. Eric readjusted the towel to give her some semblance of privacy. "I'm cold Eric."

Shocking Eric, Sophie-Anne moved to hand him a blanket for Sookie. "Thank you." He wrapped Sookie in the blanket. "We'll warm you in the bath in a moment. I'll heal you fully as well. I know you probably want to forget everything, but we need to know the details before we sentence the guilty parties. Are you able to tell me what happened?"

She nodded then took a breath to start. "Ivan had captured the Bon Temps killer; it's Rene Lanier by the way. I called Bud, our human sheriff and he was sending a car to pick him up. I was on the porch listening to Rene so I could give as much information to Bud to go on as possible. His thoughts were horrible, so much anger – no not just anger, pure hate. Since I was focused on him I didn't even hear the vampires approach from the cemetery. The male barreled into me so hard I lost my breath and couldn't speak at first. Then when I tried, the female gagged me before I could finish my sentence that I was bonded to you. If it matters, I know I got out 'I'm bond . . .' but I'm pretty sure that's it. I'm so sorry about Ivan. His focus was keeping Rene from me and he approached the kidnappers while he still had a hold on a struggling Rene. Eric, he also tried to tell them we are bonded but they ignored him citing they were operating under orders from the palace." With that statement, she spared a glance at the Queen.

"Miss Stackhouse, I'm sorry we have to meet under these conditions. I want to ensure you that we will get to the bottom of this. Please be aware that I have no intention of interfering with you or your bonded." She moved to pat Sookie on the arm. "I know you just want to get cleaned up but I need to know everything."

"I understand. I thank you for your words. Please call me Sookie." She sighed and turned back to Eric so she could finish and get the bath Eric promised her. "After Ivan tried again to approach the vampires, the female descended on him and cut his head off without any further discussion. The killer, Rene, escaped at that point. When she returned to me, I was threatened with the same treatment so I stilled my struggling and sent you as much panic as I could."

"I got it." They both smiled briefly.

She whispered, "I like the bond by the way;" then continued with the story. "So the woman left to get a car and, um . . ." She shifted nervously.

"It's OK Sookie, you can tell us." For comfort, she took Eric's hand and played with his fingers as she often did. It was a move that did not go unnoticed by Sophie-Anne.

"He touched my face and told me how sweet I smelled. His hope was that his maker would let him enjoy me on the way to New Orleans. With that comment, I was quite concerned about his plans for me but at the same time, he was taking me to you, well New Orleans. That part was good so I knew I just needed to focus on survival. He put me into the backseat and when he sat with me I panicked again. I felt you respond in the bond." She paused when Pam quietly returned to the room and took the drink that Pam offered. "As we drove off, I heard Deputy Andy screaming at the vampires and I hoped he would help somehow, but that didn't happen. The female told the male to call someone to ready a plane and then she passed a cloth over the seat." Sookie started to shake a bit at the memory. "He put the cloth over my mouth and I had no choice but to inhale and I lost consciousness. I didn't wake up until now. So I don't know, I me . . . mean I feel f . . . fine, but I don't know what they d . . . did." She ended the statement with sobs.

"Sookie shhh, it's OK. They bit you but nothing more. I assure you, they will pay for their crimes." She blushed as she realized they had checked her out somewhat while she was still unconscious. Eric could feel a bit of embarrassment at her realization. "I'm sorry min kära, it was necessary to know the extent of your injuries before you were healed by my blood."

"I hope they get staked for all this."

"She's a bloodthirsty little thing Eric." The Queen added.

"Not normally, but another attempted rape and a kidnapping will do that to you."

"Another attempted rape? I think I would like to learn more about her history. For now, I'll leave you so you can get cleaned up. I'll be in court when you are ready. If you need to stay, stay. If you need to go, my plane is at your disposal, I just need you in court for the sentencing at least."

"Thank you, your Majesty." Eric made no move to get off the bed and bow and Sophie-Anne left without a thought to his action, or lack thereof. Pam moved to join them on the bed to she too could comfort Sookie and assure herself that her friend was fine.

"Sookie," Pam started, "I spoke to Alcide, he and a few Weres can join us in New Orleans within an hour and a half and can stay with you to fly us back during the day tomorrow so you can see your Gran."

"It's really do-able? I mean, what time is it now?"

"It's not even 1AM. I think we should fly Alcide down."

"Yes, I want to go home. Why can't we just leave now?"

"I will ensure you are doing well first; then the kidnapping needs to be handled. I want to make my claim tonight and begin to mete out punishments. We could leave, but I would need to return tomorrow night to do this. I would rather take care of it now so I can be home with you for several days."

"I get it, I agree. Right now though, I'm still cold and I want to wash them off." Eric was off the bed immediately and Sookie heard water flowing in the bathroom.

Pam rose. "I'll go find you some clothes while you take care of that. I can't believe you were wearing La Perla pajamas tonight that are now ruined. It would have been the perfect opportunity for you to destroy some Wal-Mart 'fashions'. You know how I want to get rid of all those Wal-Mart clothes."

"I'm truly sorry Pam, really how horrible for you."

"The tub is full enough to get in min kära."

"Will you help me?" She asked with her arms raised, but lowered them and whispered. "Can you help me?"

"We have no worries. Well, maybe we did, but the cat's out of the bag if you will. Sophie-Anne is quite aware that you're not just a contract for me."

She gasped as he lifted her. "Are you in trouble?"

"No, I'll explain more later. You're shivering and the tub will warm you."

The water did feel warm and wonderful as she just sat with her eyes closed for a moment. The scent of the body wash filled her nose before she felt Eric starting to wash her back. Once she was warm, he offered her his bitten wrist to complete her healing and she moaned at the taste.

Once she was healed, her curiosity bloomed. "Eric."

"Yes."

"All those puzzle pieces: the Queen's Christmas party when Jesse Compton coincidentally died, the arrival of Bill Compton when you were at the palace, you being called again to be away tonight. They were all part of this, weren't they?"

"Yes, those were all part of this kidnapping plot, I'm sure."

"I don't get it." He looked at her not understanding. "This took months of planning. Why wait? Why not just capture me?"

"Honestly, a few months is nothing to vampires that are centuries old – we think long term." He continued to wash her gently as he spoke. "After Andre first saw you with me; he likely did some investigating to determine if the folks in Bon Temps knew about us. He needed to be sure I had not claimed you. He probably did this when Jesse Compton died. That your Gran was away at that time was probably quite infuriating to Andre. I think his vampire brothers, the Berts, were in Bon Temps then and glamoured around the town looking for information."

"Wait, then why didn't he learn about us?"

"Well, most folks in Bon Temps don't know about us, and even if they found someone who did, glamour isn't perfect. You need to ask the right questions. This is where your gift is superior. You hear all the thoughts, not just the answers to the specific questions." He snorted. "Of course, Andre isn't exactly a strategist considering just a review of the Shreveport newspapers would have given him more intel then glamouring around Bon Temps considering we've been in the society pages together. The asshole could have just done his job with Companion contracts and known you were mine." He helped her stand so he could rinse her body then wash her hair more easily. "I'm just glad you're back Min kära, I was frustrated knowing something happened and I couldn't get to you."

"I knew you would find me though, I only needed to hold on til you got me."

"That's my girl." He had finished her hair and was giving her a final rinse. "Sookie, you need to be aware of some information I learned tonight."

"Because we haven't had enough excitement?"

"I'm sorry the timing is not ideal, but you really need to know this."

"You have my attention, even though this water feels heavenly."

"Sookie, your cousin Hadley is here at the palace."

"Hadley is here?"

"Yes, she is Sophie-Anne's bonded companion."

"Hadley is here and not strung out on drugs?"

"No, according to the Queen, she's healthy."

"I would like to explore this further but we may not have time since I really want to get home to Gran. Oh God, nobody told Gran anything did they?"

"No, Pam told them to keep it quiet. What are you concerned about? I can feel it."

"Will it be bad form to leave without seeing Hadley? I don't think I'm up for a family reunion."

"Sookie, you've been kidnapped, bitten and bound against your will by vampires working under orders from Sophie-Anne's second. Even before the kidnapping, Sophie-Anne was trying to get me back to you and Adele."

"That's unexpected."

Now he used their sign for quiet as he needed to stop this particular conversation. The room could be bugged and he didn't want to have Sookie accidentally insult the Queen. He decided to change the subject. "Will your Gran rehab at the hospital or a facility?"

She caught on right away and went with his direction. "I don't know yet." He felt some sadness.

"What are you sad about?" He asked as he took her from the tub and started drying her.

"The fact that her rehabilitation at home is not an option."

"Why not?"

"Cost, the fact that I don't live with her, 24X7 resources."

'_Fuck! More problems that wouldn't be there if Sookie wasn't involved in my world._' He needed time to think about this situation. Now that she no longer had to stay with him due to Jason's crime, she could move back with Gran. Feeling raw from the scare of her kidnapping, he pushed those thoughts aside for the moment and responded vaguely. "I guess we should just learn more about her condition then discuss options."

They heard Pam from the bedroom. "Crumbcake, I have your clothes."

"You can come in Pam. I'm just drying."

Pam discreetly walked in and left a pile of clothes on the counter. That she made no lewd comments or teased Sookie about being naked in any way indicated that the kidnapping attempt had truly impacted Pam. Eric quickly dried Sookie, helped her into the clothes then braided her hair rather than trying to dry and style it. "Can you leave Pam here while you take care of the stuff?"

"Sookie," he paused. "You'll need to attend court for this situation." Knowing she was going to explode he sent calm and kept talking. "I know this is not what you want to do, but I need you to be strong Sookie. We don't have to worry about appearances with regards to affection. I'll hold your hand; you can sit with me I don't care about that. You just can't defy me, and that will be hard for you. I want to hurt these vampires, and you can't cry out for mercy or react much at all. Your compassion runs deep Sookie, but it can't appear in court. Can you remember that?"

"Yes, it helps that I want them to be punished, but not by me personally."

"You realize that Pam and I will probably both participate?"

"Just don't tell me about it later."

"Agreed. We should head to the throne room for court now." They left the room to head to court and Pam fell in behind them.

"Do I need to bow or something in there?"

"When you approach her, bow your head towards the Queen. I'll be bowing too, so you'll know when. You might see Hadley in there, but don't make any overt motions or call out."

They reached the double entry doors to court and waited to be escorted in, Eric squeezing Sookie's hand and sending her love and calm. Finally the doors opened and Sookie took in the large and elegant room. On the far side sat Queen Sophie-Anne on her throne with two huge vampires flanking her. They walked straight through the room to approach her, Sookie standing tall on Eric's arm and focused on the dais. Eric could feel her apprehension and felt nothing but pride for his companion since it didn't show at all. They reached the Queen and bowed; Sookie to Eric's right and Pam to his left. Eric spoke for the group, "Your Majesty."

"Eric, Pamela, Sookie, welcome to court. Shall we bring in the charged?"

"Yes your Majesty."

"Rasul, bring them in." She turned back to Eric. "Won't you sit, please?" She indicated a group of chairs to her right.

"Thank you your Majesty."

They were just getting seated when Rasul and several guards escorted Andre, Lorena and Bill into them room in leather covered chains. Sookie was relieved that the silver was not in direct contact: THAT she didn't need to smell, or see. Rasul summarized the charges including the kidnapping, bodily harm, bites and drinking blood from a bonded registered companion without permission from her master. Additionally, they were charged with the unwarranted death of another vampire. Eric felt a pang of annoyance when Sookie heard the phrasing; specifically that the crime was against Eric as her master and not her as the victim. Then Sophie-Anne stood and informed the witnesses in the room; "Let me add to the charges." She looked around before continuing. "The crimes were against this woman." She motioned towards Sookie. "She is a protected asset of Area Five's Sheriff and as such, is also included as a victim of the crimes. Further, the guilt of these vampires has been established as they were caught with the unconscious and bitten victim. Our goal is to determine appropriate punishment for these offenses."

Sophie-Anne was being so considerate of Sookie that Eric actually worried about the intent. While he might appear to enjoy such graciousness, he would keep his guard up against the Queen. As he was lost in thought for a moment, the Queen stood and approached the guilty vampires. "We will sentence Ball and her progeny first. Eric, we found 19 bites, or 38 actual marks, correct?"

"Yes your Majesty."

"We'll use that for the number of nights for corporal punishment. I can transfer them to your dungeon in Shreveport so you can take care of it personally, or they can stay here. You're welcome any night if they stay here."

"We'd like them to stay here, and I will be down several times in the 38 nights. Lorena will need to pay Ivan's maker for his death." He paused and thought. "One other request." The Queen nodded. "I would personally like to remove Mr. Compton's fangs."

"Yes, of course. Unfortunately, one of Bill's hands should also be removed for touching Miss Stackhouse, but I need his hands to complete some computer work."

Pam chimed in. "A suggestion, your Majesty?"

"Yes Pamela, I always enjoy your input on torture."

Pam was giddy. She'd had a run in with Lorena in the past and was very pleased for the opportunity to set her punishment. "As we have his maker, and a maker can stand in for their child's punishment . . ."

The Queen interjected. "I like where this is going. Yes, we'll take one of Lorena's hands."

Lorena had been quiet but at that revelation she could not contain an outburst. "ALL THIS FOR A SOME HICK HUMAN? WE WERE UNDER ORDERS!"

Eric crossed the room in a blur, grabbed Lorena by the throat and smashed her face to the floor. "You will hold your tongue you ignorant bitch. Don't forget I will be here to participate in your punishment and you don't want me angry, well angrier because you continued to insult my bonded." He ground her head into the floor a bit more until he heard some satisfying crunches from her nose and cheek bones. "Now I suggest you apologize before I continue to crush your face to the floor and you can't."

She mumbled an apology and Eric let up his hold for her to raise her head, telling her to say it again. She looked at him and apologized for the outburst. "Lorena, I don't need the apology. You need to apologize to my Queen and my bonded." He could see Lorena's eyes flare at his request but she conceded and made the apologies. Once that drama was complete, he rose and returned to the seat next to Sookie sending her pride. He'd felt her conflicted emotions during the episode but said nothing. She truly could perform as the perfect companion when needed.

"Well, what an interesting evening. Rasul, please ensure Mr. Compton and Ms. Ball make it to the cells below. I believe Eric will have enough time before he leaves to start some of his personal corporal punishment before dawn." She waited until they were gone and turned to the room. "Now we must punish my child. First let me announce to Sheriff Northman, his second, Ms. Ravenscroft and his bonded Miss Stackhouse; I am truly sorry for what my child conspired to do. I understand it was not his intention to kidnap a bonded companion but the fact is he did. I have learned that he's been shirking his responsibility with pet and companion contracts and that oversight contributed to this situation. I will rectify that failure myself, the rest of the charges that apply to Andre will be determined in this public forum."

Eric was conflicted since he knew from his own maker/child bond that whatever they did to Andre, Sophie-Anne would feel. Still, he wanted him punished. Pam, again, offered an idea. "Your Majesty, I have a suggestion."

"Go on."

"Well, we could always use help in Shreveport. I guess what I am suggesting is providing Eric with a slave for the same 38 nights that Bill and Lorena will be in custody."

Eric praised the idea. "Excellent timing since I am about to lose my day man. Andre will need to run at least my nighttime errands while I interview a replacement."

Sophie-Anne smiled in relief. She was prepared to sentence Andre to corporal punishment as she felt it was necessary but this suggestion was good. The humiliation would certainly hurt Andre deeply. Still, she knew something else was needed. "I agree, however, his fangs will be removed before he leaves the palace and he can have only True Blood until they grow back. I will also command him to not touch, smell or otherwise engage Miss Stackhouse. Eric, do these suggestions satisfy you and Miss Stackhouse?"

"Yes."

"I believe we are finished at court. Pamela, could you escort Miss Stackhouse back to the guest room?" She walked directly to Sookie. "I know Hadley would like to see you, but my guess is that tonight is not the best time."

"I agree your Majesty, thank you for your consideration."

After the closing ceremony of bowing and exiting, Pam took Sookie's hand to guide her. "Hang on Pam." She turned to Eric. "Eric, you need to know something right now."

"NOW?"

"Yes, it will only take a moment."

He spoke to the guards. "I will be downstairs momentarily. Ok Sookie, what's the emergency?"

"The room behind the throne room is full of spies."

His eyebrows rose. "You've been reading everyone?" She nodded. "And you heard what, their orders?" She nodded again. "Pam, take Sookie to the guest room and await next steps. I'm going to inform the Queen."

"Yes master."

He kissed Sookie and vamped back into court.

A short while later, there was a knock on the guest room door and Pam moved to answer it while Sookie finished a snack that had been delivered for her. "Rasul." Pam simply acknowledged.

"Pam, I'm here to escort Sookie back to court. You may join us."

"I will be staying with Sookie per my master's orders. Give us 5 minutes and we will be out." She shut the door and moved to Sookie who was seated on the couch. "Crumbcake, I suggest you do a 'human needs' check before we head down. I don't know how long this will take."

"Good idea Pam, I'll be right out."

When they approached the court doors this time there was no wait, in fact, the doors were open and the Queen was waiting for them in a mostly cleared out room. Pam and Sookie bowed to the Queen before she spoke. "Miss Stackhouse, Sookie, I cannot thank you enough for your efforts. I didn't request for you to listen so I was quite surprised to find that you could be here in court with us AND get a bead on the donor pool in the room behind us. I'm impressed with your multitasking ability. I apologize that this needs to be addressed instead when I'm sure you would like to rest."

"I understand your Majesty."

"I'm curious about the details; do you know what kind of spies I have?"

"Fellowship of the Sun and some Sandy woman from Vegas. I apologize; I don't know the implication of the woman, just that she is paying donors for information."

"Understood, both are a threat. How do you want to proceed?"

Pam and Sookie had spent the time in the guest room strategizing the best way to weed through the donors, so they were prepared for the question from the Queen. "How many donors are in the palace now?"

"Twenty, they've all been moved to the donor waiting room."

"Do vampires feed in that room, or do they select a donor and take them somewhere private?"

"Donors are typically taken by the vampire for feeding and other entertainment."

"Would it be possible for me to join them in there, start some conversation and determine a subtle signal for those that need to be removed? Then perhaps a vampire in the palace can come in and 'select' that donor for a feed?"

"Yes, we can do that." She moved to summon Rasul, but Sookie interjected.

"My apologies your Majesty, but one other thing."

"Yes."

"Once they are removed, can they be held for a further reading? Some may have check-in calls they need to make or other procedures with their um, spy bosses. I don't want to cause other problems by just pulling donors."

Sophie-Anne stared at Sookie until she became uncomfortable. "Your strategic skills are impressive for a young human."

"Thank you your Majesty. Hearing the thoughts of thousands has probably impacted me in that regard."

"Yes, I believe so. Rasul, please work out the details of the signal with Miss Stackhouse and gather vampires to aid in removing donors from the waiting room. I'll be in my chambers."

"Yes your Majesty."

Shortly after the Queen left and the details of the plan were in place, Sookie entered the donor waiting room. She simply listened for a few moments and identified three Fellowship of the Sun spies right away and made the sign to the waiting vampires. From there, the spies were removed. It only took 20 minutes for her to make rounds through the room, and identify another 8 spies. Sookie thought that was a bad ratio, more spies than honest donors, but it wasn't for her to judge.

She met with the spies individually and garnered any check-in or other relevant information while Pam held her hand for support and Rasul took notes. Sookie did spend a moment thinking about the future of the humans she identified and felt some remorse, but she snapped out of it. These humans had chosen to spy for either money or in the name of God and therefore had chosen their own fate. Now they had only two hours before dawn and Sookie wanted Eric. She'd heard some voices from the palace entry so she knew Alcide and Potts had arrived to fly her and her vampires back home.

Pam snapped Sookie out of her thoughts. "Let's get back to the guest room; Eric will be there in a moment."

"How do you know that?"

"I was just handed a note. You were so lost in thought you must have missed it."

"I guess."

On the way to the guest room, Sookie was hit with a barrage of emotions from Eric. She felt him close the bond at some point and was glad; she didn't need to feel his fury and honestly his enjoyment of the torture. Now she felt overwhelming lust and it caused her to stumble. "Pam am I going to be ok with Eric? He's quite um . . ."

"It's the bloodlust we spoke of before. He won't hurt you, but it's going to be probably more" she paused for the right word, "well more frenzied than the two of you have been. I suggest you disrobe before he gets to the room so I don't need to hunt down more clothes. Don't be frightened Sookie, enjoy the ride. "Pam stopped walking and had Sookie look at her. "If you're really unsure just tell me and I'll get him a blood donor and he can calm down."

"No I want him – I need the connection. I trust you Pam, and I'll kick your ass later if you are lying to me and he hurts me badly, 'cause he wouldn't want that either." They had reached the door to the room.

"You won't need to kick my ass, I promise. Now get in there and strip, I'll wait here outside the door until Eric arrives."

Sookie was both excited and nervous as she stripped and got in the bed. She only needed to wait a moment before he emerged, shirtless and still dripping from the shower he took to wash off the blood. His eyes Fangs were fully extended and his eyes were dilated to full black, even in the lit room. "Mine." He said in a hoarse voice, and he pounced. His hands and tongue were everywhere as Sookie struggled to keep up and eventually she just relaxed and gave him complete control. Pam was right, this was a ride and though he was quite energetic and possessive, it was nothing more than that. He held her hands above her head while he pounded her with more force than she'd experienced before. In short, he was claiming her and she knew it. Needing the confirmation after others had dared to take her; he asked her continually to whom she belonged. He was a bit insatiable; cumming twice with no recovery time needed before flipping Sookie over and enjoying her while she was on her hands and knees; one hand gripping her hip to keep her in place as he plunged. Sookie found this new position exciting since Eric could go deeper and still provide extra stimulation using the hand not holding her hip. The bed was hitting the wall with each thrust and it seemed to only spur him on more. Just before he came, Sookie felt him swell even larger and he bit her shoulder then finally roared his last release of their session. While this was not a tender coupling, he still ensured she was satisfied several times before he finally collapsed.

He was now lazily licking the back of her shoulder and purring. Sookie questioned her own thoughts. '_Purring? That's exactly what it sounds like though_.'

As he rolled her over he asked. "Did I hurt you min älskade?"

"No Eric, I mean, I might be a bit sore and I don't think my legs will work, but that was hot. It helped that Pam provided guidance." He raised his eyebrow in question. "Well, when you re-opened the bond, your lust overpowered me and I did get nervous. She talked me out of a panic."

He simply nodded and got up. "We need to dress and get to the plane. At this rate, I think Pam and I will need to be transported in the coffins and you will have Potts and Alcide with your for takeoff." She looked a bit panicked." I'm sorry min kära; I know you don't like take-off."

"Potts will help me. Hey, you didn't feed much?"

"I drank several bags of blood before I left the torture area; I needed to take my bloodlust down a notch before seeing you."

"So, this wasn't the full bloodlust affect?"

"No." He answered as he started dressing Sookie. "Lift." He requested so he could slip on her panties.

"Next time, let's go with the full thing." She raised her arms and he pulled her dress on; then moved to don his pants. Though I can hardly imagine that since I'm pretty sure there are headboard shaped dents in the wall."

"We'll try a little more the next time and build to the full effect. Now we must leave for the plane." He bent to lift her. "Since you said your legs don't work, I'll carry you to the palace entry."

"Opportunist."

"Of course."

Sookie cringed when she saw the coffins at the doors. "Min kära, the coffin is the safest way for Pam and me to travel to the airport. I know you hate the idea and didn't want to see us in such a contraption, but it can't be helped, the sun will rise soon."

"I understand, but I don't like it."

When they reached the entryway, Sookie was handed to Alcide by Eric, shocking them both. He shrugged at their awed expressions, he simply trusted the wolf. "Sookie has had an overly exhausting night, please carry her to the plane and then ensure she sleeps for the ride." He looked to Sookie and waggled a finger towards her to emphasize his request. "I don't want to hear that you stayed up."

Alcide answered for her. "Yes Northman." His eyes darted between Eric and Sookie. "Actually, we have a shot from Dr. Ludwig to take care of the nap. Knowing what Sookie's been through she thought Sookie might need it."

Sookie gasped when Eric smiled his approval. "Excellent, may I have it?"

Potts handed him the prepared syringe and she called her a conspirator. Potts only laughed in reply. "Eric, no, I'll sleep."

"Yes, you will." He said and he dispensed the needle into her arm. Then he leaned down to whisper. "You can't defy me here and I'm doing this because I'm concerned about you min kära. You can yell at me later."

She whispered back. "Oh I will." He smirked at his little spitfire before reaching for Pam to lift her into a coffin; then secured himself in his. The last thing Sookie saw was their sign, wish, and she returned it before his lid and her eyes closed.


	30. Weakness

**Hi all! Came in from the heat and gardening to post. You'll be happy to know that I finished chapter 39 (which is why you're getting chapter 29 now) AND part of 40 - I had a huge muse visit (though it wasn't a naked Askars as I was hoping.**

**The next few chapters (I'll have to check to see how many) are kinda really linked - and if you followed me as I posted Nowhere to Now Here you'll recall I posted the 'excitement/cliffy stuff all at once. I'm not sure about all at once - but it will be at least each night in a row til the nail biting is resolved. SO - I may take a few days to prep all the linked stuff ready to go at once, then just release one chapter a night. Just be prepared!**

**Hope everyone is staying cool (at least in the places where it's stupid hot).**

**Some of you are worried about Sophie-Anne and while I won't give out future plot points in A/N on a regular basis - I will confirm that Sophie-Anne is honestly FINE with Sookie being owned by Eric since she has the access she needs. No worries there (other places, yeah - worry away).  
**

**~m**

Chapter 29 – Weakness

February 1, 2004

Sookie woke up in her bed at the farmhouse a little disoriented. When she hobbled to the kitchen, she found Potts pulling fresh biscuits from the oven and her Were guards around the table. "Who's with Gran?" She asked.

"Maria Starr is at the hospital. I don't think you've met her yet. You feeling alright Sweets? You're not moving like yourself."

She was not going to share that she was sore from some very energetic and wonderful sex with Eric, so she went with the shot. "I'm fine Alcide, just a little groggy from the shot y'all gave me. I'll get you for that by the way. As for Maria-Starr? No Alcide, I haven't met her. She's the photographer, right?"

"Yes. You have a good memory. She's actually been with your Gran quite a bit these past weeks, since her schedule is flexible."

"When can we head over? It's already 11AM."

"As soon as you eat, missy." Potts ordered behind her. "Here, I made you breakfast so you have no excuse." She placed a plate in front of Sookie; then loaded plates for Alcide and Peter.

"How come I have all of you this morning?"

Alcide responded. "Pam and Eric are in the living room, he didn't ask me to stay, but I really didn't feel right leaving them both here. No offense Peter." Peter nodded in understanding while he headed outside to eat and keep watch. Alcide continued his conversation. "I mean, the living room is a bit too exposed for my taste, but we couldn't exactly get the coffins to the safe room downstairs, and it's not like you have a secure garage or outbuilding. Peter and I even tried to maneuver them into your or your Gran's bedrooms, but the hall was too narrow to accommodate the 90 degree turn."

She stared in the direction of the living room, though she couldn't see the coffins from her current position. "Why weren't they brought to a safe house in Shreveport?"

"Eric's orders. He wanted to be on Bon Temps when he rose since he knew you'd be here or at the local hospital."

Now Sookie understood further how she was a weakness to Eric. It was bad enough that she could be taken as leverage but he was making decisions that risked his safety for her. She resigned herself to have a conversation about it with him later. If he got hurt because of her, she'd never forgive herself. One last look of longing towards the living room and she returned herself mentally to the group in the kitchen. "Is there an update on Gran, Jason or the killer, Rene?"

Alcide and Potts both exclaimed. "The KILLER?"

"Geez, I guess you didn't get the whole story from last night." She took a few bites of breakfast while they encouraged her to continue. "Well, the killer showed up here to kill me last night."

"What the hell Sookie, as if you don't have enough going on."

"I know Potts, I feel like part of me should be in the corner rocking and sucking my thumb. Anyway, Ivan secured him quickly and I was listening to his thoughts from afar when Bill attacked me from the cemetery. I started to get out the whole 'I'm bonded' thing but he gagged me. Ivan tried to tell them twice but Lorena ran down and cut his head off while he was distracted with Rene. Oh, Alcide get this; the killer, Rene Lenier, was Arlene's fiancée, the woman from the hospital the other day."

"She told him you were with a vampire and he came to kill you."

"Yep, he felt it was his job to kill all the fangbangers 'cause his sister was one. He killed her first. I need to talk to Bud."

"Yes, he called early this morning to inquire about you. He wanted to stop by and I tried to convince him otherwise but I don't know that I was successful. Perhaps if we call and make an appointment for him to meet you at the hospital, we can prevent his visit to the farmhouse while Pam and Eric are exposed." Potts suggested as she stood to clear the plates.

"Someone's in the drive, I can hear it."

"Sweets, I heard that with my Were hearing, just how much of Eric's blood have you had?"

"Enough apparently."

"I'll go head them off before they get to the door."

"No worries, it's Jason."

Sure enough a minute or so later, Jason came barreling in. "SOOK!"

"In the kitchen."

"Sook, where have you been? I been callin' since dinner last night!"

Sookie shifted uncomfortably in her seat but dove in. "Jason, sit and I'll tell you. Then she looked at her friends. "Can you give us a minute?"

"Sure Sweets. I'll help Peter check the area before I leave to take Sookie to the hospital."

"Yeah Sookie, you best get over there, Gran's worried about where you are."

"YOU TOLD HER YOU COULDN'T REACH ME?"

"Well sure."

"Dammit Jason, the woman just had a stroke. You'll need to listen to me through my bedroom door while I change real quick, I need to get over there."

Jason was stunned at the story and asked for clarifications and confirmations along the way. "Rene is the killer? Does Bud know?"

"Yes, I called him before I was kidnapped. SHOOT!" She opened the door and yelled for Potts to call Bud and ask him to meet her at the hospital.

"19 times, they bitcha 19 times. Are you like, gonna turn into a vamper?"

"No Jason, that's not how it works. Look, I really want to see Gran, we can finish this later. You coming with me?" She left her room and headed to the living room.

"Nah, I just left there. Are you leaving Eric and Pam in the living room?"

She ran her hand over Eric's coffin. "I don't have an option. He didn't want to be in Shreveport when he rose tonight, so he stayed here, unprotected to be close to me." She started tearing up.

"I'll stay here, just let me get my shot gun."

"Jason?"

"I know you got guards, but they're kinda vulnerable here."

She sobbed and hugged her brother. "Thank you, I was worried to leave."

"If ya really wanna thank me, stop crying, ya know I hate it."

OOOoooOOOooo

"Sookie, you get your butt over here and explain what happened." Her Gran scolded from her bed. Gran nodded to Dr. Ludwig. "Amy tried to ensure me you were OK, but I just need to hear it from you."

Sookie's eyes narrowed in Ludwig's direction. "What else did Dr. Ludwig tell you?"

"She knows the details Sookie. I wasn't sure you'd be up to telling her the story, or even if you'd be here today."

"Yes baby girl. You should come here for a hug then go back home."

"We flew back to be with you Gran, not sit at the house."

"I can see the circles under your eyes. You didn't sleep much did you?"

"Let me stay through lunch and help you, then we'll see if I'm tired."

"Stubborn child. Now you tell me about last night."

"Before you start girly, let me check you out; then I have to head out to see some other patients. I'll be back tonight to meet with you and Eric."

"I'm fine; you don't need to check me out."

"Do you honestly think your giant would be happy with me accepting your 'I'm fine' assessment?" Sookie sighed and accepted her fate at the doctor's hands. Dr. Ludwig completed her exam and found Sookie to be fine; vampire blood will definitely do that. She left just as a food tray arrived.

While she helped Gran with lunch, Sookie filled her in on the Bon Temps killer, the kidnapping, court at Sophie-Anne's, and finally Hadley.

"Hadley is alive?"

"Yes Gran. I didn't see her, I guess with everything going on, but I've been assured she's alive and off drugs."

"Well, Halleluiah! I'll talk to Eric about seeing her tonight. He's coming, right?"

"Yes." Sookie continued to feed her and Gran watched her closely.

"Something's wrong baby girl. What is it?"

"Gran. You know Eric's lived over a thousand years?"

"Yes, though I hate when he refers to himself as 1000 years dead. I want to swat his head when he says that."

Sookie spit out a laugh. "I do the same thing when he says he dying for the day. To me, he's not dead."

"Me either, but we got off track."

"Oh right . . . Gran; I think I'm bad for him."

"How could you possibly say that?"

"Well like today. He's purposely putting himself at risk so he can be closer to me when he rises."

"All the more reason for you to get home so you can be there when he rises."

"Gran, that's not the point. I'm a weakness for him. I could be kidnapped to be used as leverage, to get Eric or to coerce him to do something."

"And you are suggesting what? That you leave him?"

"I don't know."

"Sookie Adele Stackhouse. If I had the strength I'd put you over my knee right now. Guess what; even if you left him, the damage is done. He LOVES you. I'd be afraid of the rampage he'd go on without you. He might even consider meeting the sun."

Sookie gasped. "GRAN! Don't say that."

"Then you stop thinking that you need to go all 'martyr' on us and leave him for his own good." Sookie started to open her mouth. "Sookie, I mean it. I'll never forgive you if you leave him because you think you're bad for him. Actually, I've come to care for him, so I'm not sure I'd forgive you for leaving him for any reason. Unless he hurt you, then I'd stake him."

Sookie laughed at the image of Gran going after Eric with a stake. "I think you'd be in line behind Pam if that happened."

"I knew I liked that girl." She giggled at herself.

Their giggling stopped when Bud knocked on the door to get the details from Sookie about Rene. Sookie spent time with Bud, answering his questions and providing her special insight. Bud knew he couldn't use her mindreading as evidence, but he could use it to guide his investigation. Before he left, he also asked about what Andy saw: Sookie being taken unwillingly. She quickly explained that her capture was being addressed between the vampires involved and her fiancé. "I don't want to know anymore, do I Sookie?"

"No Bud, you don't."

"Well, as long as you're safe and satisfied I'll leave it be."

As soon as he left, Gran resumed their talk. "Now, you told me the details of last night, but tell me . . . what did the palace look like? How was the Queen dressed?"

Sookie and Gran continued their girl talk until they were both yawning. "Well baby girl, it's time for you to go so you can have a nap." She started to protest and Gran stopped her. "Sookie, I need one too. You come back tonight with Eric and Pam. Go on." When Sookie didn't move she yelled. "Alcide, I know you're outside the door. Come get Sookie and take her home, please."

"Yes, Gran." Alcide replied, grinning because he loved seeing Gran order Sookie around.

Sookie stomped her feet but complied. Alcide chuckled to himself when she fell asleep in the car about 5 minutes out of the parking lot. He carried her to her bed and Potts took care of her shoes and tucking her in. She rose after a 2 hour nap and went to the living room to sit by Eric. Jason was still there sitting as sentry by the door, shotgun on his lap. She laughed to herself thinking that if Jason remembered his first weeks with Eric, he wouldn't be sitting here as a protector.

"Sook, how ya feel after your nap?"

"Good Jason."

"Sookie, I been thinking."

'_That's always scary_.' She thought. "What's up?"

"I know ya love Eric and all, but I think you should reconsider a life with a vamper." Jason's words made Sookie feel like she'd been stabbed in the gut and Eric roused from his rest. Sookie was so caught up in Jason's words she didn't feel Eric rise.

"I know Jason, I think I'm dangerous for him, but Gran talked me down from the ledge."

"Dangerous to HIM? I think your being with him is dangerous to YOU. You need to leave him Sookie."

"I'm not leaving him, Jason. Where is this coming from?"

"Sookie, two vampers just kidnapped you. They're dangerous."

"And a HUMAN tried to kill me, should I avoid humans then? Jesus, you're dense Jason."

"Sookie, what about kids, I heard you can't have babies with a vampire."

Eric felt another pang of sadness and he knew he would need to explore this with Sookie. Probably, Theresa's decision to have a baby had awakened feelings that Sookie didn't even know she had. He was planning to listen to her reply but decided he'd better alert her that he was awake. He didn't want any reason for her to mistrust him. They'd come way too far for that. "Sookie."

She jumped at his voice, clearly not expecting it. "Eric?"

"I'm awake, but obviously stuck in here."

"I can wheel you into the hallway and hang blankets on my bedroom window and the ends of the hall if you want." When he hesitated she added. "You'll be right next to the door to my bedroom; can you move fast enough to get down to your bedchamber before anything happens? It's only 3:30, that's a long time to stare at the coffin lid."

"Go ahead." He could hear her scurry to gather the materials she needed followed by hammers being pounded. He was surprised when he heard her saying that she was moving him to the hallway so quickly; then she told him to come out. When he opened the lid, he was shocked at the level of darkness in the hall. "You did an impressive job min kära."

"I had help; Alcide grabbed some plywood from his truck bed and covered the window in my bedroom. That blocked the most direct light source. We can even roll Pam here now and you can move her to the safe room. We've all been a bit freaked out at how exposed you guys have been all day. Jason sat at the door with a shotgun." He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I know I was shocked at first too."

"Let me go in your closet, you situate Pam's coffin in the hallway, then I'll come out for her."

Once Pam was settled in the bedchamber, he came back up to Sookie's surprise. "Oh, I was heading down."

"This room is completely blocked, I can stay in here. Besides, I've wanted you in this bed for a while now." She bit her lip nervously at his request. "What's wrong?"

"Um, can you, I mean I . . ." she fidgeted on her feet and looked down.

He focused on their bond and detected the problem. "You're sore."

"A little." She felt his guilt immediately and put her hands up to him. "Don't do that. I enjoyed what we did this morning and you know it."

"Sookie, I was too rough. Show me what hurts."

"Eric, you're making too much of this. We just need to take advantage of your healing blood." She started to unbutton her dress. "Are you joining me?" She slid her dress off and he winced when he saw some bruises on her hips. They were fading since she had her blood in his system – but that only made him feel worse; the bruises must have been pretty bad to still have any remaining evidence. "Don't start with the guilt again. You can heal this, right?"

"Yes, but I shouldn't have . . ."

"And next time I'll take blood right after any vigorous sex." He nodded his head. "Then come on, let's get busy." He smiled at her logic and enthusiasm.

"Yes dear."

OOOoooOOOooo

They were both sated and happy on Sookie's tiny childhood bed. Eric didn't care; it gave Sookie nowhere to go but his arms. He was still upset about the kidnapping and Bill's biting but he was keeping his anger down as much as possible. Now he was using Sookie as a source of comfort as she lay sprawled on top of him and he was stroking up and down her back.

"Eric."

"Sookie."

They laughed, both having started a conversation at the same time. "Ladies first."

"Ok. Eric, I'm concerned about what happened today."

"What do you mean? What happened today?"

"You and Pam rested here, exposed."

"It was necessary."

"It wasn't, it was sweet and I love you for it, but we could have survived waiting to see each other until the sun set and you know it."

"Min kära, the events from the last 24 hours have left me raw. I didn't want to wait until the sun set." He recalled some her and Jason's argument. "When you were discussing us with Jason, you mentioned being dangerous to me, but your Gran talked you off the ledge. Is this the same topic?"

"Yes. I distract you. I could be used as leverage. I could be the end of your thousand years of life."

"That's true. I won't deny it. But Sookie, that's actually been true since October."

She raised her head in shock. "October?"

"Yes. Do you remember the night Pam and I told you about the sheriffs attending the Halloween party?"

"Yes."

"I told you then that if it got out that I care for a human, you could be kidnapped and used as leverage."

"I remember that."

"You also guessed correctly that very night. It was too late at that point. Even back in October, anyone would have me as a puppet to get you back." Her eyes were wide and her feelings were a mixture of love, fear and some doubt. "I feel the doubt, but you can ask Pam when she's up. We discussed it after you stomped off to bed. She even vowed to stand with me for you." He chuckled. "She also told me she wouldn't tolerate it if I hurt you."

"She said that to you?"

"Yes she did. Then she complained that you had evoked such feelings FROM us, but you didn't have them FOR us."

"That sounds like Pam."

"You want to know what I told her?" She nodded. "I told her not to be so sure about that."

"What do you mean? I hated you."

"No Sookie, you didn't. Not by then." She shook her head no, but he persisted. "Admit it."

She smirked. "Never."

"Admit it, or tickle bear is going to get you."

"I only acknowledge that I might have liked Pam by then, but not you."

"Prepare to be conquered." She squealed as he flipped her under him so he could pin her down then he was ruthless with getting her sides, the insides of her thighs, and her mercy spot just under her chin. She was crying uncle when Pam emerged from the bedchamber.

"If there's that much laughing, you're not doing it right." Sookie gasped at the intrusion and covered her exposed breasts, but Pam pressed on. "Move over tickle bear, I'll show you how it's done."

He knew he was never going to live down the fact that Pam heard him call himself tickle bear. Centuries, he was going to be subjected to centuries of teasing now. "Pamela! You should have alerted us somehow!"

"And miss this scene? Never." He reached behind himself to hit her on the ass, a loud cracking swat that she needed to rub from the sting. "Still worth it to witness you two." Then she escaped out the bedroom door before he could reach her again.

After the door shut, Eric turned to Sookie, "Now where were we?" She braced for more tickling. "Actually, I wanted to get back to our conversation." She looked at him blankly. "Where you think you are a danger to me."

"Ah, I had forgotten we were even talking. But we should really dress and head to the hospital, we can talk on the way."

"Actually, it's short discussion so we can talk while we dress."

"You think so?"

"I know so." He pulled on his pants. "I can't live without you now Sookie, so end of discussion."

She stared at him for a moment before she tried to speak. "You mean, I'm, if I . . . what?"

"Did you ever notice that when you are surprised you can't seem to put a sentence together?"

She huffed at his comment. "Don't get off topic."

"I'm trying to get off the topic, I meant what I just said, and you shouldn't ask the details of me, you won't like the answer." Stunned, Sookie could only nod at his statement. Her mind, though, was spinning with his declaration.

"Eric."

"Yes min älskade?"

"You've mentioned other times that a blood offense against a bonded is punishable by death. Why do Bill and Lorena still live? I guess Andre?" He groaned. The Queen had informed him before Sookie was roused from the chloroform that a death sentence wasn't an option and he had hoped this wouldn't come up. He was still very pissed about it. "Whoa, I just got a barrage of anger."

"Bill Compton is working on a project for the Queen. She needs him alive as it will be a great source of revenue once it's complete, or so she says. Once we knew Bill, who was actually the one who bit you, was going to live the others couldn't be killed as they were only accessories to the blood offense."

"Money, that decision was based on money?" She shook her head in disbelief. "That's just great. This weak punishment means others will think they can get away with something like this again."

"I hope it never comes to this, but Sophie-Anne knows this was a one-time deal. I'll kill anyone – even her precious Andre – with my bare hands for touching you or conspiring to harm you. I told her as much." He took her face in his hands. "I'm sorry you don't feel vindicated or protected by their sentencing. I . . . I had no choice."

To Sookie, Eric looked almost defeated at the words and she knew given that they were at the palace surrounded by Sookie's guards when the kidnappers were being sentenced, he really had no choice. "I believe you Eric. Just ensure they really do pay when you make your visits." They moved apart to finish dressing for the evening. Sookie was deep in thought for a moment and finally shared her opinion. "There should be some overriding council across the states. Some appeals group or rules group. Like when you planned for the reveal. That should have stayed in place."

"I think some monarchs would be open to that, others would declare war before answering to anyone."

"It's the ones that would declare war that need the group."

"Indeed my little strategist."

Once they were both ready, they headed to the Corvette. They were able to take the two-seater since Pam had already left for the hospital in Adele's car. Sookie brought up another topic that had been bothering her. "Eric, could you not give me a shot every time you want me to sleep?"

"You've had two shots, and I wasn't even around for the first one."

"Let me rephrase. Could you tell Ludwig to stop with the shots? And I know you didn't plan it, but you were happy to be knocking me out this morning."

"I don't know if you noticed but I actually have no control over her so you're out of luck there. I was happy this morning. I know how nervous you were. Why should you suffer through a flight without your fabulous bonded to help you?"

"I can't win."

"Nope, just give up now." She pouted and he was laughing at her. "Poor Sookie, so many people caring for her wellbeing."

"Just watch the road."

OOOoooOOOooo

"So Eric, I hear we've found another of my grandbabies."

"Yes, though none of us got to see her, Sophie-Anne has informed me that Hadley lives at the palace as her bonded companion. The even better news is: Sophie-Anne assures me she is drug free."

"Can you inquire about her visiting us? I'd go down, but I'm not in good enough shape for that."

"Certainly. I will be back down within the next week."

"Back to New Orleans again?"

Sookie interjected. "Eric is participating in the punishment of the vampires that kidnapped me. One of them is going to be staying in Shreveport for a while, and Eric will be transporting him personally."

"Why is he coming here?"

Eric explained since he was so proud of his child's idea. "Pam had a fantastic idea. The vampire that had the idea to kidnap me, Andre, is the Queen's child so corporal punishment would cause her pain. We're going to punish him by humiliation. He will be working as my slave."

"Hey, you mentioned something about losing Bobby at the palace, but you didn't say anything to me."

"After what you told me, I couldn't keep him around. Indira handled his glamour for me while we've been otherwise occupied."

"He lives?"

"Unfortunately. I understand he's moved to New York to pursue his dream to become a professional ballet dancer."

"YOU DID NOT!"

"You'd have to ask Indira, I only requested that his memories of me be removed and that he leave the state."

Adele's chuckling didn't stop when the door opened and Dr. Ludwig came in. "I see you have quite a crowd here Adele."

"Yes Amy, and according to Eric, my third grandbaby has been found."

Pam mumbled shock that Ludwig actually had a first name and Sookie and Eric chuckled at her.

"That's wonderful Adele. I didn't know you had a missing grandchild."

"Yes, Hadley was my daughter's girl."

Amy's head whipped to Eric's face and she asked. "Sophie-Anne's pet?"

"Yes, well now bonded companion."

"That's quite a coinci. . . this has something to do with Sookie's kidnapping."

"Indeed, Andre recognized Sookie's scent as similar to Hadley's. He only knew Sookie was my landscaper but after speaking with Hadley he started to believe that my landscaper and Hadley's cousin were one in the same. Hadley sweetened the pot with stories of Sookie's mind reading. Andre acted hastily and set out to capture Sookie for the Queen without realizing that she was my companion. You see, Andre is supposed to process the pet and companion contracts, but he turned that over to Rasul. He truly didn't know about the contract, but Sookie's kidnappers also ignored her and Ivan's attempts to tell them she was my bonded. Andre was pretty pissed at his minions for not listening or smelling the bond, but he's taking his punishment well."

"So Eric, if Sookie wasn't bonded to you and Hadley had told Sophie-Anne and Andre about her gift?"

"She would be a slave in the palace. Given Sophie-Anne's personality, she would have been a well treated slave, but a slave."

"Thank goodness you found her."

"Actually, she literally found me." They all laughed at the truth.

"So Gran," Eric said trying out the name and feeling pride from Sookie and amusement from Pam. "What are the next steps for you?"

Gran smirked at her name. "Well, I'm going to be moved to a rehab center for further work. I don't need the full medical services of a hospital right now."

Eric signaled to Ludwig to join him in the hall while the others chatted. "What would be needed for Adele to rehab at home?"

"Well, she does need at least a week at a rehab facility to get started and to prep the house. What house did you mean by home?"

"The farmhouse." She looked back with surprise. "Who are you expecting to stay with her?"

"Sookie."

"I don't understand. She's your bonded."

"Just get me the details for the house and resource requirements, leave my personal life to me."

She nodded and promised him a list by the next day.

He walked back into the hospital room while Gran and Sookie were having a bit of a spat about her leaving. "Sookie, I'm fine. Go with Pam and Eric to Fangtasia, do some homework, eat." She looked up at the doorway. "Ah Eric, come take my grandbaby from this hospital. Just promise me she won't be out too late."

"Of course Gran."


	31. OUTTAKE - What you can find in a kitchen

**Hi!**

**A shorty "just because" chapter for tonight.**

**In case you don't have an alert for me as an author - I posted a oneshot that I've entered into I Write the Songs. Check out my profile to see that story: Somewhere. I was told I forgot the tissue warning - so here it is: Have tissues handy.**

**The next story arc is over 3 chapters so I will post them three days in a row. I have my final edits to do, so that will be this weekend I'm predicting.**

**M**

Chapter 30 – OUTTAKE – What you can find in a kitchen

***NOTE: There is no plot or story lines in this short chapter. This can be skipped if you don't want to know about the fun Eric had with Lorena and Bill. Now, I don't actually describe the torture fully, but Eric and Pam describe the tools they brought to use. I also wrote it with some humor where I could. I hope everyone chooses to read it because one of my favorite lines from the story so far is the end of this chapter. I know for sure, I'll never look in my kitchen drawers the same again. Everyone can thank Duckbutt for wanting the details – that's why I added this outtake to the story.***

Eric descended the stairs to the dungeon level at the palace with Pam. Pam had not yet had the opportunity to 'visit' Lorena and Bill and she was quite happy to be here now. She was even humming Barry Manilow's Copacabana in anticipation. She'd created a loop of Barry Manilow and Barney songs to be played on continuous loop for her two victims (on headphones for them to hear only, of course). The air smelled of blood, fresh blood so they weren't surprised to see Rasul walking out as they approached the hallway that contained Bill and Lorena. He was smiling and covered in sprays of blood. "You left us something, right?"

"Only warming them up for you Eric, Pam." He smiled and he checked out the blood on his fingers. "You have a good time now."

The 'toys' Eric had shipped directly to the palace for the evening were waiting for him outside the cell. Eric proceeded to open the box while Pam greeted their victims.

"Whorena, Bill! How lovely to see you." Pam smiled as she spoke. They were both tied to a post in the room, their hands behind their backs, a strap around both their necks and stomachs and their feet in shackles. All clothing had been removed by Eric their first night and hadn't been replaced. There was no need for clothing while being tortured.

"Just get it done." Lorena grumbled.

Eric gave a nasty grin. "Oh no, we're staying all night and returning to Shreveport tomorrow, no need to rush." He reached into his box. "You know, I've started doing some cooking since I have a human to care for."

Lorena had the nerve to interrupt me with a comment. "Moron."

Instantly, Eric was had her neck and was strangling her. "You will be quiet, or I'll cut out your tongue."

When he released her she screeched. "You only have permission to remove one hand Northman."

"Not true. Bill needs to keep both his hands. I spoke with the Queen and you both will be without certain outer body parts during your 38 days. I'll save twisting your hand off slowly for the end of your sentence so it has no time to re-grow while you're here." He let out a sinister laugh and added, "I'm forward thinking like that you know."

After donning gloves, he carefully checked out the implements in his box while he spoke. "As I was saying, I've spent some time cooking and therefore exploring all the tools humans use in the kitchen. It's amazing what a world that has opened for me. With a few tweaks to common kitchen tools, I've created a whole new line of 'toys'. You're our first test subjects. Guinea pigs I believe is the phrase that's used for this. If tonight works out well, I'm planning to market and sell my toys. I have a metal crafter who will have a share in the business and he's very anxious to hear how this all works out." He motioned to Pam as she set up a tripod for a video camera. "We'll be taping the session for use in marketing or tweaking the products. I'm sure you don't mind."

He reached in and held his first tool up. "This was created in the fashion of something called a garlic press. I had to change the mechanics a bit since it needed to open at the end like a clam shell. This way I can place, oh, I don't know something like a TOE in to be pressed and then ripped off. In it's traditional use, the garlic would be squeezed through the holes on the press. I'm hoping that with the sharp edges I requested for each hole and my strength, your flesh will come out through the holes before the bone breaks and I pull to remove the toe entirely." He held it up and admired the tool. "I'm sure you're just as excited as I am to try this out."

He placed the toe press to the side and picked up a long metal implement from the box. "This is a microplane or rasp grater. I have several versions each with different size graters. Look at it closely. The razor-sharp stainless-steel teeth allow grating in both directions. I actually didn't need to have this altered at all. We'll try it just the way it is." He winked at Lorena and placed each of the graters on the table.

"Now this was newly made. It was inspired by a combination of a guillotine and a mandolin. You see, I wanted something small enough to hold against your head. Something that would slice the outer ear clean off, but be more fun than a knife. I had it made in silver so just holding it in place before releasing the blade would burn first." A mischievous grin crossed his face as he turned to Bill. "I checked by testing this with a sausage and that didn't work. It has to be flatter, like the outer ear that I mentioned. Don't worry though; I have something for your sausage that I think you'll like."

Turning his attention back to the tools in the box, he picked up a small knife like object. "This Bill, is a shrimp deveiner I had made out of silver. It works on shrimp to just put a small cut in the shrimp to remove the vein. I thought we could try to remove the large vein on your cock. And considering how small you are," he glanced down at Bill's manhood. "I think a shrimp deveiner is perfect. Of course, now I'm concerned you are almost too small to make the most of my nutcracker, but I brought a few sizes so hopefully we're covered." After he mentioned the nut crackers, he removed them from the box to show off his creations, both made of silver. Then he placed them on the table.

He looked back into the box. "AHA! I'd actually forgotten this one." He turned to show them the large syringe. "This is a flavor injector. Like the graters, this is without modification. You see, the needle isn't that sharp and it's large, so if I had it remade into silver, it may have gone into your flesh too easily. Can't have that. I have colloidal silver for the chamber when we're ready for that."

"Well, I'm sorry to say we've come to my last tool." He pulled it out of the box. "It's a peeler that's also got this little scoop at the top. I did need this one made in silver with a razor edge as the edge of the original scoop wouldn't be sharp enough to cut cleanly – and I want perfect little gouges on your skin." After placing his final tool on the table he moved to the side and gestured for Pam to start.

"While Eric enjoyed the creation of new tools, I have always enjoyed the classics. Shall I begin?" She looked between Lorena and Bill as she put on her pink leather gloves. "So rude Eric, they won't even answer me." She reached into her own box, also shipped ahead of time. "Lorena, I'm certain you were feeling left out while Eric described the nutcracker and shrimp deveiner. YOU. DON'T. NEED. TO. WORRY. I've got you covered." She had an object in her hands at her back. "TADA!" She yelled as she moved the object to show them. "You know what this is, right?" She waited. "Again Eric! So rude! Well, it's a Pear of Anguish. I had it made in silver. It's been a favorite of mine for years. See, I turn this key and the four sections of the silver pear open. Course I just can't decide whether to shove it up your cunt or your ass. Maybe both if we have time." Lorena actually looked ill for the first time. "Wow, Eric. I win. I got the most reaction so far. Wait til I show her the breast rippers."

"YOU BITCH! You would do that to another woman?"

Eric stepped in. "Make no mistake about it, you live only due to the work your child needs to do for his Queen. You should be finally dead because you committed a blood offense with your idiot child against my bonded human. I want you to WISH you were dead before the 38 nights are up." Eric was seething as he spoke to the woman. He picked up the peeler. "Enough talking for now. It's time to get busy."

They finished their session with about 2 hours left before dawn. This was planned specifically so Sophie-Anne could hold court very early in the morning. Eric and Pam had just bowed to the Queen and moved to the side where each of the other Sheriffs from the state were in attendance. "Eric, Pam, did you accomplish what you needed to tonight?"

"Yes your Majesty. If it pleases you and the court, we would like to share our results."

"Yes of course. They've been put on something for transport so they won't soil the palace?"

"Yes. I have a Brazen Bull that's been transported from Shreveport. It's large enough for both of them and lined with short silver spikes." The doors opened and he gestured for Rasul to wheel the bull in. "As you can see, I had the bull crafted from fire rated glass so it can withstand up to 1000 degrees AND we can see Bill and Lorena once they are placed inside." The glass bull was moved to an area in the center of the room near a fire pit. The area surrounding the pit had been covered with a fireproof carpet.

"Ingenious Eric. Would you share this bull?"

"Certainly my Queen." He glanced at the door. "And here come your special guests now your Majesty." They both looked as the Berts rolled Lorena and Bill (both gagged) in on a cart. All the wounds from the night's torture were clearly visible to all in attendance and Sophie-Anne asked Eric to describe his methods. He spent about 30 minutes explaining how each wound was made, showing his tools at the same time. The vampires in the room all nodded in approval. After the wound display was over the Berts moved both Bill and Lorena into the Bull and rolled it over the now started fire.

Sophie-Anne continued to hold court for the next hour while muffled screeches could be heard from the bull. With only 30 minutes before dawn, the Berts removed the prisoners from the Bull (with gloves on of course) and court concluded.

OOOoooOOOooo

Pam and Eric rose the next night and readied to leave New Orleans. Sophie Anne had been generous enough to loan them her plane so they could get back quickly. A quick flight and drive from the airport later, he was at the farmhouse and Sookie greeted him warmly. "Did you have fun?"

"You know I did."

"Yeah, you had the bond open several times. It woke me up."

"I'm sorry min älskade. When we go back down in a few days it'll be more fun since I you'll be available when I finish."

"The full effect?"

"We'll be there a few days we'll work up to the full effect."

"Care to give me a preview?"

He couldn't hide the surprised look on his face. "We don't need to see go and see Gran?"

"She's already asleep; the move to the rehab center wore her out today." She started pulling his shirt off as she walked backwards to her room. "We're all alone Sweetie."

He ran back to the door. "Let me grab my bag."

"Why do you need your bag for sex?" He reached in and grabbed a pastry brush and silicone turkey ties. "I'm assuming you have those for sex fun and games, but they don't look like you bought them from an adult store."

He waggled his eyebrows and said. "You'd be surprised what you can find in a kitchen."

**A/N: Whorena comes to us courtesy of The Vikings Succubus - she just writes the MOST COLORFUL reviews.**


	32. When the Daylight Comes

**A/N**

**Hi all:**

**Remember: **

***I love my readers, and I'm sure you feel the same about me**

***I love happy endings, even if you sometimes have some hurdles while getting there**

***I plan to post again tomorrow and Monday**

***I've added a teasers section to my wordpress page (link on my profile) which I actually think is a reassurance section. You can get a glimpse of BVB 32 and the beginning of the sequel of Nowhere to Now Here (will be called Life Goes On.)**

Chapter 31 – When the Daylight Comes

February 4, 2003

A few nights had passed and as planned, Gran was moved to a rehab facility where she was settling into her new routine. Tonight, Eric, Sookie and Thalia were returning to the palace. Eric had prisoners to visit and Sookie had human employees to read at Sophie-Anne's request. Thalia was going to stay with Sookie while she worked since Pam was needed at Fangtasia. While Eric drove, Sookie spent the trip laughing at Thalia's stories about her and Eric's escapades over the years. To Sookie's surprise, they had lived in the same locations many times over the years. Per Thalia, Eric respected her need for space and Eric always valued Thalia's talents. Hearing about some of their near escapes, disguises to stay hidden, and pranks on other vampires had Sookie in hysterics. "Oh Thalia, it's so good to laugh like this. I hadn't realized how on edge I've been the past few days."

"Mistress, spending time with Compton will do that to you."

Eric had explained the use of the term mistress by some of the Area 5 vampires after Ivan first used it. It was a term of respect for Sookie, Eric and their bond. Hearing that stopped the cringes Sookie had whenever she heard the title.

"Master, will you allow me some time with the prisoners. I want to take out some of my personal justice on behalf of my mistress."

"Certainly, Sookie just needs to be secure at the time."

"Of course. I was thinking close to dawn after you have left for your house since I am staying at the palace."

"That will work."

Knowing that Thalia's desire for justice was a great honor towards her, Sookie recognized what she needed to do. "Thalia, I am honored by your request. Thank you."

Thalia simply bowed in Sookie's direction.

"Sookie, you should try to nap now. We have about two more hours of driving and you will need to work when we arrive."

"I wish cars had front bench seats so I could put my head in your lap." He snickered. "TO SLEEP ERIC!"

Thalia laughed from the backseat and offered. "Master, I would be happy to drive and the two of you can sit in the back as this is a bench seat. Just don't tell Pam I drove her car."

"We won't. She was quite grumpy that I wanted to take this tonight. Let me pull over."

Sookie was asleep shortly after settling in the back seat, her head on Eric's lap. Eric played with her hair, as he often did, with one hand while he made calls or texted with his other. After a short while, Eric lowered his phone for a moment and concentrated on Sookie. His concern for keeping her safe was a living thing within him and it was evident to those closest to him. Thalia broke the silence. In her 2000+ years on earth, she rarely liked anyone. Sookie she liked even respected, as well as Eric. She was aware of the changes coming for both of them when they returned from this trip and it saddened her. To her, Eric was making a mistake and she would try to do what she could to have him rethink it. Starting now. "She's special Master."

"Yes."

"I don't just mean her telepathy. She accepts us. No, that's not even right. She isn't bothered by what someone is, vampire, human, Were. Those, what does she call them?"

"Labels."

"Yes, those labels mean no more to her than blue or brown eyes. I'm not the only one in your retinue made happy by our Mistress' beliefs. Anyone that has spent time guarding her or her family is surprised and pleased."

"And I'm pleased that so many of you see the treasure in Sookie. Her views, those labels, that's been her thinking since before we met. In fact, she corrected me the first night we met when I told her I was a vampire and not a man."

"She corrected you on the first night and lived? That alone makes her special."

"I'll tell you the story someday."

"I look forward to it." She concentrated on driving through the city streets of New Orleans. "Do we need to switch back before we get to the palace? It's only 5 blocks away."

"No, but I'll wake Sookie." He bent over her sleeping form and nuzzled his nose to her cheek. "Min älskade, we are here." A smile formed on her lips before her eyes even opened. He stayed bent over, using his hair as a bit of a curtain. "Come on sleepy head, I know you can hear me. We are almost to the palace."

"I'm too comfy; tell the Queen she'll need to wait."

"Are you my 'Sleepy Sookie' tonight?" He chuckled at her pout and decided on a new tactic. He reached his arm as far down her bare leg as he could and started trailing it up towards her hip. Her smile returned, replacing the pout. When he got to the hem of her dress, he simply took it with him baring even more of her leg. "Almost to the guard station Sookie and your dress is creeping up."

"Ok, OK, Stop!" She abruptly sat up. "You don't play fair."

"You're only just realizing that?" He leaned towards her. "Give me one last kiss before we get under the watchful eyes of the palace." She complied but they pulled apart quickly as soon as Thalia reached the gate. No need to give the guards a show.

"Thalia, you have Northman and the telepath?"

"I have SHERIFF Northman and his BONDED, my Mistress Miss Stackhouse with me." She corrected the guard while glaring at him. "Where shall I park?"

The guard guided Thalia and soon they were headed to the palace entry. "Thalia. Sookie cannot be left at any time. Do you need to feed before we separate?"

"No Master and she will not leave my side."

"Excellent."

OOOoooOOOooo

"Ahh, Sookie, welcome back to the palace." Sophie-Anne greeted her as they walked into the throne room. "Eric, Thalia, good to see you as well. Thalia, you will be serving as Miss Stackhouse's escort while she works?"

"Yes your Majesty."

"Perfect." She waved Rasul over. "We have a brief meeting with Cataliades, then Rasul will you escort the Sheriff to his, ah play time and then come back to the meeting room as we discussed?"

"Yes your Majesty."

"Here is Cataliades now."

"Sookie, so good to see you."

She moved to hug the daemon. "Uncle Des. How are you?"

"I am well, and I'm here for you in fact."

"What's going on?"

"I have the details of Mr. Compton's and Ms. Ball payment for damages. Shall we sit?" They all took seats at a table that had been set-up for the quick meeting.

"Payment? They are already being punished."

"They are also paying you as the victim. It is similar to a human court in the US: a criminal trial outcome which you had a court and now a civil trial outcome which we will discuss here."

"I thought Eric was the victim under vampire law?"

"The Queen has made it clear to me that you personally are the victim. Now, can we go through these details?"

Sookie was shocked as her Uncle Des reviewed the money being paid for her kidnapping, well mostly the bites. She was also handed the deed to the Compton Estate up the hill from Gran's. "Wow, Gran was already a lady of leisure, now she can really relax. I can pay for so much rehab now. While I'd rather not have been kidnapped, I'm still gonna enjoy this." They all laughed at Sookie's enthusiasm.

"Sookie, after you sign this paperwork, I have a surprise for you. I took the liberty of inviting Hadley to the meeting room. You have time for a brief reunion before your interviews start tonight."

"That's very generous of you, thank you."

They finished the paperwork quickly and Eric rose to leave for his tasks. "Sookie, I will meet up with you later. Rasul can reach me if needed."

"Thank you Eric."

The Queen held out her arm towards the back doors to the throne room. "Sookie, I'll show you to Hadley and Rasul will be there shortly to take you through the business of the night."

Sookie was a bit nervous to see Hadley. It had been a few years and Hadley was a stealing drug addict the last time Sookie saw her. If Sookie thought about it, Hadley was never really much of a cousin or a friend to her over the years either. Still, for Gran, she would be pleasant while they had this short time together. The meeting room door was already open and Sookie could see her wisp of a cousin at the table looking at a magazine. "Hadley." Sookie called and she turned to get up.

"Sookie! You look wonderful."

"Hadley, you do as well, I really mean it. You, Oh God, Gran will be so happy when I tell her how healthy you are."

"Mistress, I can wait outside the door for you if you like?" Hadley and Sophie-Anne's brows raised at Thalia's designation for Sookie. Sookie could hear Hadley wondering why Sookie garnered such a title, while she was the companion of the Queen and was still treated only slightly better than the donor pool.

"Thank you Thalia that would be perfect." She kept her smile but internally she grimaced. Hadley's thoughts about Sookie hadn't changed. Hearing Hadley's jealous musings made Sookie realize that she was no different then when she was at 10, 15, or 22. In a nutshell, she was jealous and thought that Sookie was now using her mind trick to curry favor with the Queen. Sookie decided to tackle that problem head-on. "Hadley, I'm hear working for the Queen. I'm not trying to curry favor. I'm with Eric and I don't need anyone else in my life. Can you relax so we can just enjoy a visit? Don't you want to know about Gran and Jason, or some other folks in Bon Temps?"

"I can't relax with you reading my mind!"

"Sorry Hadley, but that's my job."

"To read MY mind? I am the Queen's bonded companion." She crossed her arms to end her statement.

"Not YOUR mind, but all the minds here at the palace. With the bond the Queen doesn't need me to read your mind."

Snidely, Hadley replied. "How would you know that?"

"I'm bonded to Eric. Now can we please get to a visit? The Queen told me we only had a short time tonight." When Hadley's stance didn't change she added. "Seriously, I'm not here to take anything from you and Gran will kick my butt if I don't come back with an update."

"Fine. What do you want to know?"

'_Just perfect. A great way to start my night at the palace_.' Sookie was using her talent for hiding her emotions and smiled brightly at Hadley. "Well, how did you meet the Queen?"

Hadley launched into her sad tale about drug addiction and being found in an alley by the Queen. Sookie wasn't really 'liking' Hadley at the moment, but she was family and she was relieved that she had been found and cared for. Gran would be happy too. Sookie was just about to update Hadley on Gran when Hadley started getting up. "You can't stay?"

"Sophie-Anne needs me, since your Master is pulling poor Andre's fangs out and she's going to feel it."

"Hadley, Eric didn't request Andre's fangs, Sophie-Anne set that punishment for the kidnapping."

"Oh yes, your 'kidnapping' and being bitten a few times. You just had to make a big deal about that. Poor Sookie."

"HADLEY that's enough!" A voice boomed from the hallway as the door opened. "Come here this instant!"

Sookie watched as Sophie-Anne grabbed Hadley roughly and pushed her to one of the large guards from the throne room the other night. "Sookie, I apologize for Hadley's behavior. It won't happen again."

Hadley scoffed at Sophie-Anne's words and she was promptly stopped by the Queen. "SILENCE!"

Wanting to get away from this drama, Sookie simply stated. "It was no problem your majesty. Now I'm certain I should get to work with the staff interviews so I can complete as many as I can in the next three nights."

"Rasul will assist you. I will be unavailable for the rest of the night, so I will say goodnight now."

Sookie bowed and said goodnight as well. "Thalia, can you take me to freshen up somewhere?"

"Certainly. Rasul, could you guide me, I am unfamiliar with the location of the restrooms?"

"Actually, we have a hospitality room for Miss Stackhouse; it's just down the hall." He gestured for them to follow and he opened a door to a lovely sitting room with a small dining table. "This room is for Miss Stackhouse while she is at the palace. Please let me know if there is anything missing. I will ensure it is procured immediately."

"Thank you Rasul." She grabbed Thalia's hand. "Shall we?" She practically pulled the tiny vampire into the room with her, though Thalia could have stopped her, and she ran for the bathroom. "I'll be out in a minute. Can you just stay here, please?"

"Certainly Mistress."

Sookie emerged a few minutes later and Thalia noted her eyes were red and puffy. Her fury grew thinking that Hadley had caused her Mistress to cry. She would speak to Northman about this to ensure he knew. "Time for me to work."

"I'm certain if you need a few more minutes…"

"Working will take my mind off the visit. Please don't tell anyone that Hadley upset me so much, I don't want it getting back to Gran."

After discussing the system and signals with Rasul, Sookie interviewed about 20 of the palace human staff before she received word to meet Eric at the entrance to the palace. Thalia escorted her and handed her off to a very eager Eric. Sookie could tell she was going to be in for one of those more adventurous love sessions once they got to his New Orleans home. She was right, but this time he ensured they exchanged blood before she fell asleep to prevent any soreness the next day.

The next two nights were similar except she didn't see Hadley, and her interviews expanded to include any palace vampires who had day people or pets that they wanted Sookie to interview. Sookie was continually sickened by some of the humans she read. A few dozen Fellowship of the Sun followers and thieves (stealing blood, money or goods from their masters) were identified from her interviews. All were taken to some offsite location. As with her first palace visit, she also searched for information about check-ins with superiors or other triggers and Rasul noted those as well. She felt disgusted with humanity when she was done her last interview.

It was the last night of interviews; Sookie had finished early leaving about 2 hours before dawn. After coming up with a plan for her extra time, she asked Thalia to escort her to the New Orleans home. '_I have a surprise for my bloodlust Viking and this will give me plenty of time to prepare_.' After bathing, she donned a robe and hung out in the bedroom until she felt him open the bond. That indicated he was on his way. She went downstairs and asked Thalia to wait outside since Eric was almost there. "Tell him I'll be in the office." Thalia smirked, she wasn't an idiot and she could tell Sookie was very anxious for Eric to arrive.

"I will see you tomorrow night when you and Eric arrive at the palace to pick up Andre. Enjoy the rest of the night you lucky girl, or maybe it's my master who is the lucky one."

Once Thalia was out the door, she stripped and positioned herself bent over the desk with her torso raised up by resting on her elbows. It was in that position that Eric found her and since he was ready to go, he unzipped and plunged while he fondled her hanging breasts. As promised, he built up to the full bloodlust effect and hadn't fed at all after finishing with Lorena and Bill. He was pounding her harder than he ever had and she was taking everything. A few thrusts in and she had her first orgasm. He flipped her over, spread her while her butt was at the edge and sat in his chair. From there, he feasted like he was starved on her delicious cum. When she was close to another orgasm, he bit her thigh and she lost it. Standing again and using her hips as handles, he thrust back into her and had he not held firm on her hips, she would have launched off the desk. With another bite to her neck, he finished with a roar and Sookie was seeing white lights for a few minutes. She came back to reality with Eric bent over cleaning up the blood he'd dripped on her. "Min kära, that was fantastic. Are you OK?"

"Oh yes, more than OK, this is going in my book of memories."

"Let's get a quick shower; we need to be in the light tight room. I'll give you some blood once we're in bed."

"Can you carry me?"

"Of course."

OOOoooOOOooo

On the final night of their stay in New Orleans they only need to go to the palace to pick-up Andre then they could return to Shreveport. While sitting with Eric in the back had been nice for the trip down, they decided to keep their intimacy more private and Andre rode up front with Eric while Thalia sat in the back with Sookie. Andre seemed well behaved in his seat, but anyone could see that he was seething and Sookie questioned the wisdom of having him in Shreveport for the remainder of his 38 nights. The decision had been made, so she just trusted Eric to keep her safe. Thalia turned to her. "Mistress, I was wondering…"

Ander cut her off. "MISTRESS? Why do you call her that? Is this an order from Northman? She is not your Mistress."

"Andre, I suggest you remember the words of your maker and Queen from just thirty minutes ago." Eric started with barely controlled anger. "I am your MASTER; you are my SLAVE. You don't talk unless I give you permission."

Now Sookie was sure this was NOT a good idea. '_He's going to hold a grudge, and when he returns to the palace, he's back to being above us in the hierarchy_.' She kept her own mouth shut and closed her eyes. When she woke, she was leaning against Thalia and Pam laughed saying 'got it'. Sookie was confused until Pam turned her phone around and showed Sookie a picture of her resting on Thalia. "Pam, delete that. You know she doesn't want anyone to see that."

"No way, this is pure gold."

They filed into the office where Eric sat at his desk and asked Pam for a report on the area. Andre glared from Eric to Sookie, clearly upset that he would cover Area business with a human in the room. Eric took care of the problem. "That human is already privy to more Louisiana business than most vampires. She stays and you won't glare at her. Actually, Pam, could you find Maxwell, I need him for something before we begin."

Sookie sighed and took out her laptop to catch up on homework. Her work hours the past few days had prevented her from doing schoolwork and she didn't want to get too far behind. When Maxwell entered the office with Pam, Sookie looked up, she knew what was coming and she truly didn't want to miss any of it. Andre was GOING to be a pain when he returned to the palace no matter what, so she decided to enjoy it. Maxwell addressed the room. "Sheriff, welcome back. Mistress, I trust your work went well at the palace?"

"Yes, Maxwell, thank you for asking. How is your lovely Amy?"

"Fine Mistress, I'll tell her you were asking about her."

Eric requested. "Maxwell, can you drive Andre to pick up his car?"

The corners of Maxwell's mouth twitched just a bit, but he managed to keep it under control. "Certainly Sheriff."

"Andre, my car is out back." Maxwell gestured to the backdoor.

"What's going on? What car?"

"Well, we can't chauffer you around Shreveport. That would defeat the purpose of having a slave. I've procured a, how should I describe it, hmm, a 'classic' Gremlin for you. Ironically, nobody wanted to drive such an exquisite piece of machinery so it would be here when you arrived, but Maxwell agreed to drive you to its current location. He has the keys already. When you come back, Pam will have your list of errands."

The door slammed behind them as they walked out and the three of them burst into laughter. Sookie had seen pictures of the car and it was hideous. Rust spots covered what was left of the bright yellow and black paint job. The seats were mismatched and she wasn't sure they looked healthy. She knew for sure she would never put her ass down on one of them for fear it carried a disease. She couldn't wait to see Mr. Prissy pants drive the thing while he hunted down La Perla underwear for Pam. Too bad Andre's allergy to the sun was going to prevent him from doing some of the more embarrassing errands like drop offs to Goodwill.

Eric was behind on some work, so he shocked Sookie and called it an early night. "I have a surprise for you min älskade."

"Oooh, what?"

"If I tell you, it's not a surprise."

"How long do I need to wait?"

"Not long. Let's head out."

"They drove only a short while until they pulled up to a fancy French Restaurant."

"Is it still open?"

"I booked it for this late."

"Luckily I'm in a 'palace worthy' dress."

"I knew you would be, I'd never let you be unprepared."

"You seem melancholy, what's going on?"

"I think the time at the palace, when we were separated for so long each night wore on me, that's all." He sped around and reached for her hand to help her out of the car. "Come, I understand the food here is the best in Shreveport."

"I have no doubt. I've heard of this place for years, but never dreamed I would be able to eat here."

They held hands into the restaurant and to the table, Sookie ignoring the hostess who wanted to know why Eric was with a fat chick. "Eric, the restaurant is empty."

"Yes, I rented it for the evening."

She shook her head at the extravagance but said nothing. The menu was in French so Eric ordered for Sookie. She trusted him, he spent enough time with her when they ate that he would know what she liked and didn't. They talked about nothing important while she ate and when they were leaving he swooped her up and carried her out, even while she protested the whole time. The New Orleans trip had been hard and exhausting and as usual, Eric knew just what they needed.

"I have another surprise." He told her as he walked passed his Corvette towards the B&B across the street.

"This place has a whirlpool bath and I thought you would enjoy a change."

"Ok, but you didn't have to do this, we haven't been home, that would've been nice too."

She felt that pang of sadness or something from Eric. "Eric?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't think about that."

"No worries, we'll only be here a few hours before we have to head home to your light tight chamber." He simply nodded and walked into the B&B using the key Pam had already procured.

"We have the honeymoon suite min kära." He walked down the hall to the guest room with the door open. "Pam has already dropped off a bag for each of us."

"That was nice."

He placed her on the bed and went to fill the whirlpool tub while she checked out her bag. "SHE PACKED ME THONGS! She knows I hate those." She could hear him chuckle over the sound of the water.

"You don't need anything right now, actually, you better be stripping!" She felt a burst of amusement and lust and decided her Eric was back; that they just needed this alone time. "Ahh, good girl, you were stripping."

"Silly, how could I take my bath with my clothes on?" She ran to the bathroom and shut the door.

He stripped himself then went to go into the bath. It was locked. "Sookie?"

No response.

"Sookie." He tried again, this time he heard giggling. "What are you doing?"

"I'm taking my bath."

"That 's OUR bath."

"Oh, I had no idea. You better come in then, before it gets cold."

"You locked the door."

"Then I'll finish and be right out." More giggling.

"Sookie, we only have about three…."

She surprised him and moved quietly over the sound of the whirlpool jets and swung the door open. She hadn't even gotten in the tub at all. What she had done was dress in the same babydoll she'd worn the first night they made love. His eyes bugged out when he saw her. Pam was getting a present. She knew how much he liked that babydoll. "The best part is I have a duplicate of this babydoll Eric." He moved his hands to grab it. "So you can…."

RIPP!

"rip it. But I guess you had that planned already."

Eric carried her into the tub and proceeded to tenderly wash every inch of her body. Sookie described the feeling from him as reverence, or perhaps it was like he was savoring the moment, but that didn't make sense. When he carried her to the bed, he laid her down gently; then lit some of the candles in the room while she waited for him. He returned and proceeded to make love to her. Slow, tender and almost calm love. They'd enjoyed the bloodlust from the past nights, but this was truly as they were expressing their love and Sookie cried from the powerful feelings bouncing in the bond. Like their first night, he kissed or licked ever inch of her flesh before rising up and entering her. His strokes were slow and he whispered words of his love to her with each one. Normally loud, this mating was quiet, only the soft sounds of their flesh touching and his whispers. They both came quietly and he held her while she cried after. When Sookie finally looked up, she noticed his eyes were rimmed in red.

"Won't you please tell me what's wrong?"

He nodded and sat up a bit, straddling her over his legs. "Sookie, I love you."

"I love you too."

"Your place right now is with your Gran."

"I can spend time with Gran at Rehab each day. We've talked about this."

"You also talked about wanting her to rehab at home. I want that for her too."

"OK, none of this should be causing the feelings I'm getting from you. You're scaring me."

"Sookie, I want you to go live with your Gran."

"For a while . . . that's what you mean, right?"

"No Sookie. I . . . I release you. You're no longer my prisoner. You will still have my protection and the protection of the Area 5 vampires. Actually as a registered asset, approved by the Queen, you have the protection of every vampire in the state."

"The Queen! You can't just release me."

"No, you are released; officially, the judgment and punishment have been set aside. I didn't tell you sooner because I wanted to make the appropriate arrangements for you to be safe and for your Gran to rehabilitate at home." She started crying and shaking her head. "It's for the best Sookie. My world is violent. You will be protected and I will still see you when you have to work for the Queen."

"SEE ME FOR WORK?" She started screaming. "You son of a bitch, you aren't just releasing me from prison, you're breaking up with me?" Now she started beating his chest while sobbing. "How could you? We love each other." He let her go on for several minutes, yelling and sobbing and slapping until he finally grabbed her arms.

"Let me explain."

"Nothing could explain this, NOTHING."

"I want you to think back to before we met. Would you EVER have considered a life with a vampire?"

"That's a dumb question. That's like asking a Catholic if they ever considered marrying a Jew. You fall in love with who you fall in love with. Jesus! Too many people are all up in arms about labels."

"It's not just a label and you know it. You can't have my children."

"And I told you before I never thought I would have children. I told you that before we were dating."

"Then why did I get such sadness from you when you spoke to Theresa about her desires? What happens 17 years from now when you realize you made a mistake?" She started the head shaking and sobbing again. "I spoke to one of my vampire colleagues at the palace, the visit before last. He had a companion that also just chose to leave him for a normal life and family. I don't want resentment from you in 5 years."

"That won't happen."

"What about the fact that you can't share over half of your awake life with me?"

"I would rather have half my time with you then live without you for all my time. And you're forgetting one big thing." He raised his brow. "I'm not a normal human. I can't be with a human man. Hell, my telepathy has improved so much since we bonded, I could never even consider a shifter or a Were."

"So I'm acceptable leftovers?"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!" She hit him again. "Don't do this, please don't do this. You told me you couldn't live without me."

"Unfortunately, neither can you. We will have to exchange blood as long as you are alive or we will suffer from bonding sickness."

"That's all you meant when you said that?"

"No, that's not what I meant and you know it." He took an unnecessary breath. "But I won't meet the sun while you are alive. It wouldn't kill you, but it would cause you considerable pain and suffering and I won't do that to you."

"I don't understand why you are doing this. You love me, I can feel that."

"I'm doing this BECAUSE I love you. I want more for you than me."

"Was this some sick plan all along?"

"No, I only started thinking about this after your Gran had the stroke and you talked about rehab at home."

"Then let's just focus on the rehab at home and still see each other as much as we can."

"Sookie, I said that's what caused me to think of it. Not the only reason." He grabbed her hands to comfort her, but she pulled them away. "I'm afraid that the beauty, the light that is you will be gone if you stay with me in darkness. I can't watch that happen. I can't."

"You bastard! You made me fall in love you; now you're leaving me." She got up to get away from him and he was crushed.

"Potts is outside waiting to drive you to Gran's."

"That's Adele or Mrs. Stackhouse to you. You don't deserve to call her Gran." Ouch, he knew he deserved it. She would understand in time. He needed to do this. She deserved more than he could ever provide.

Throwing on the jeans and shirt Pam had packed for her she yelled out. "I can't believe Pam didn't warn me about this, try to soften the blow. I thought she was my friend."

"She IS your friend, she doesn't know. I kept her out of the loop." Sookie looked at him in shock. "Thalia is moving into your Gran's in the safe room for the foreseeable future. Potts will be there as well for your day security. There will also be Weres."

"I want you not all those other stand-ins."

"You'll understand in time. Now, we need to head out, dawn is approaching rapidly."

Sookie stood firm in the room. "I won't leave."

"Sookie, I MUST leave. As it is, I might have to dig a hole for the day." He moved back to her. "I'm leaving for Dallas tonight to help Godric. The Fellowship issue is becoming too big in his state and his King made an arrangement with our Queen for me to help. That's why we spent the past few days in New Orleans, so you could read everyone she wanted. Part of my deal for being in Texas is that she won't reach out for your talent while I'm gone. She also won't discuss your talent with any other states; she owes me since she didn't let me kill Bill, Lorena and Andre for the blood offense."

"You're, you're really leaving me?" The tears started again, he anger gone for the moment and replaced only with despair. "Please, don't."

"It's for the best. I must go now." He headed for the door and she ran to him. She clung and begged him not to go. "Sookie, even if we weren't changing our relationship I still must leave now. Because of both the dawn and the arrangement made with Texas."

"NOOOOOOOO. I'll fight for you. I'll stalk you, I won't give up." She wailed as she ran after him, grasping his arm, trying to pull him back, but he kept walking using the approaching sun as his excuse. He only had a few minutes now; digging a hole would be necessary.

When he got to the door, Potts was already there with Alcide and Peter. Never emotional, Potts had tears in her own eyes for Sookie's pain - and a glare of anger for Eric; she clearly did not agree with his decision. Alcide had never seen anything so heartbreaking: Sookie was sobbing and begging while she kept trying to cling to Eric and pull him back. Eric was stone faced, but he could see a small amount of red starting to pool in his eyes. Alcide would never call it out to Eric or tell anyone, but it was there nonetheless. So overcome with emotion, neither Potts nor Alcide could speak so Peter explained his presence. "Eric, we thought you might be cutting it close so we have a coffin ready for you in the back of the SUV. We also have one of Ludwig's little helpers for Sookie. Perhaps you can get her in the back of Potts's car; then I'll close you up in the coffin?"

Eric nodded and handed the clothing bags to Alcide; then picked up Sookie. She wrapped her arms around his neck and continued to weep as he walked her to the backseat where Potts had already position herself, the shot from Ludwig ready. Just before he placed her in the car he whispered. "I will always love you min älskade, there will never be another for me but I want you to live a life in the sunshine. I know time will heal this pain." Her voice was too overcome to respond through her crying but she vehemently shook her head to indicate just how wrong he was. Once Potts had her, he shut the door and gave her the sign for wish and when she saw it, she screwed her eyes up in pain and looked away. For Eric, it was the first time in hundreds of years he wished he wasn't a vampire.

**In my head, I've been writing this chapter for a few weeks, always listening to Maroon 5's Daylight. On top of the fact that this would have been hard to write, the day that I wrote this was April 25, a SVM day of horror for me as I finally permitted myself to check out the spoilers for the last Sookie book. I was kinda upset (understatement) at CH's decision THEN wrote this. Can anyone say TISSUE? And honestly, how do you explain all that crying to your husband? Um, a fictional character in a book didn't end up with the right man; then I decided to write the chapter where I break them up in my book? Yeah, no sympathy for that.**


	33. Fear, Control and Stupidity

Well it's not a complete repair, we are heading that way...

Damn stupid viking!

New teaser posted to my wordpress page for the chapter after this one.

~mags

February 8, 2004

"I can't believe he did that. I really thought he wouldn't go through with it." Alcide practically growled. He had slept on the couch wanting to see Gran when she arrived home. Potts had woken him and they were having lunch.

"I did too. I called Godric after I put Sookie to bed. Maybe he can talk some sense into him. I'm glad Sookie is free, but that doesn't mean they can't still be together. I bet if Gran knew part of this was for Sookie to move home to help her, she'd put up a fight. Hell, she might even take the blood Eric AND Pam offered to complete her healing so she wouldn't be a burden."

"Yeah, I don't get it. She had some of Pam's blood right after the stroke, why is she still weak?"

"Ludwig wasn't sure whether Gran would want vampire blood. She had Pam only give her a few drops, mostly to take the stop the bleeding in her brain. She's refused any additional healing, even though Pam begs at every visit."

"Speaking of Pam, I can't believe he didn't tell her." Potts gave him a sideways glance. "Don't even try to tell me you didn't hear the whole thing from the street. Daemons have pretty good hearing, and the break-up was NOT quiet."

"While you may be right, don't let Northman know."

"No kidding."

"But I was also shocked. It's not going to be good for Eric. Pam already warned him not to hurt Sookie; telling him that she would clearly be in Sookie's corner."

"He's her maker; couldn't he punish her or order her or something? I mean, what good would Pam's feelings do here?"

"This is another time I may have heard something. . ." He raised his brow. "She admitted that he had control over her, but she told him it would be a problem between them. Jesus, maybe SHE can get through his head. My concern is Sookie's stubbornness. If he waits too long before he realizes the mistake, she'll dig her heels in."

"Sookie? Really?" They both chuckled until they heard Ludwig enter the house.

In her usual gruff manner, she blurted out. "How is she?"

"She's sleeping, we had to give her the shot, which we will ALL pay dearly for when she gets up. It was bad, it was." Potts stopped to take a breath. "It was a mistake and he's got to see that and soon."

"He won't allow me to discuss it with him. Our only hope is Godric or Pam. I left a message for Godric."

"As I have."

"Good." She rubbed her hands together. "Let's do a final walkthrough here; the ambulance is leaving the rehab with Adele in about 30 minutes. I want to be ready." They got up to walk down the hallway towards Gran's room.

"Where is her Physical Therapist Dr. Ludwig, I thought she would be here?"

"She's spent the morning with Adele and the Therapist at her rehab center to ensure she knows the details of her regimen. She plans to follow the ambulance. We really found a good one."

"Yes, and between the full-time therapist and the nurses we found, Sookie will be able to enjoy Gran time instead of needing to provide in-depth care."

"Yes, though she might've benefitted from the need to throw herself into work." Ludwig sighed as she turned to Sookie's door. She continued in a whisper. "I'm not looking forward to the next few days. Northman thinks he did this for her benefit but I don't see it that way at all."

Alcide interjected, also in a hushed tone. "I can assure you, she doesn't see it that way. It was a horrible thing to witness. Broke my heart. Hell, it even impacted Potts and she doesn't care about anything."

Potts gasped and moved the discussion back to the house preparations. They only had about an hour.

OOOoooOOOooo

Gran's voice in the hallway woke Sookie mid afternoon.

"Lord, what else did he put in? I can't believe these rails in the hallway. What happens when I'm better?"

"Then I come back, take them out and repair the walls Gran." She heard Alcide respond. Sookie had no doubt that Alcide would do that, but it would be on her dime now, not Eric's, she would never accept anything more from him. At that thought, she started crying.

"What's wrong baby?" She heard Gran call from the hallway.

"Gran, let's get you into bed while Sookie dresses; then she can fill you in." Potts suggested.

"What's going on?"

"It's a long story and I really want you situated before we start Adele."

"Fine, get me in bed since you are all holding something back and you won't say anything until I'm resting."

About 20 minutes later Sookie emerged having started new crying each time she noticed something Eric had done: all her clothes in the closet, her pictures moved from Shreveport back to Bon Temps, even some of the extra stuff she had purchased for the cottage was here, though mostly in boxes awaiting some decision she guessed. He had truly moved her out of his house and his life. She thought she'd gotten herself under control until she crossed the hall to Gran's room. As soon as she saw Gran in the bed, she threw herself into the bed with Gran and started yet another round. Gran used her good arm to hug her as best she could and just let her go, noticing the other occupants of the bedroom quietly walking out the door.

This crying jag lasted for a while until Sookie was almost hyperventilating and Ludwig came in to check on her. Sookie just looked at her accusingly and bit out. "You knew!"

"I did, but it was for him to tell you, not me."

"And you sent Potts with another damn shot. You have to stop that shit."

Gran ignored the foul language; it would do no good with Sookie in her current state to correct her. But she'd had enough of being kept in the dark. "Could someone please tell me what happened?"

Sookie sat up so she could face Gran instead of being buried in her chest. "Eric dumped me."

"I'll kill him." She meant it too. She considered the past few weeks, him asking for her hand in marriage, his promises. No hesitation, she would try to stake him if he ever came around again. This would give her even more purpose to rehab quickly.

"Not if I don't do it first."

"Did he tell you why? It's not because of me and my rehab?"

"No, we had been coming up with ways to work around that. He did it for my own good he says."

"I don't understand."

"He wants me to be able to have children, to have someone who can spend the whole day with me."

"He's wrong, but I get what he was trying to do. I'm pissed at him making this decision on his own, but I have to respect that he THINKS he's really putting you first."

"I don't see it that way."

"I know you don't baby, it hurts too much. But it's not over. I'm sure he'll realize you can't be apart. Actually, you truly can't since you already bonded, you'll get bond sickness if you don't exchange regularly."

"How do you know that?"

'_OOPS! That's something I shouldn't know. Amy better back up this lie._' She turned to Sookie, "Amy mentioned it to me once."

Dr. Ludwig tucked that one away, Adele knew about blood bonds. For now, she'd support the woman and grill her later. "Yes, she had some questions about the bond between you and Eric, I shared what I know."

Sookie didn't believe it for a minute and she'd heard the 'oops' from Gran's head, but she decided not to press her. It was her first day home after all. "Let's talk about something else." She called to the hallway. "I know you guys can hear, come on in and tell me the plans for Gran's rehab."

Potts, Alcide and the new woman joined her in the bedroom and Sookie was introduced to Annabelle Bannister, Gran's Physical Therapist. Ludwig explained. "Annabelle is a Were trained in PT, so we have the advantage of her strength while Gran is building her own muscles and control back."

"That's perfect, welcome Annabelle."

They reviewed the schedule of therapy and the nurses with Sookie, Gran's goals for rehab and other incidentals about her needs. By the time they were done and had eaten an early dinner that Potts prepared, one of Gran's nurses had arrived. Ludwig handled the introductions. "Sookie, this is Michele Whatley, she and two other Were nurses will trading schedules to stay with your Gran around the clock. They will all need to meet Thalia as they will serve as backup guards at dark."

The timing was perfect as Thalia rose from her new bedroom and joined everyone in the kitchen, just finishing dinner.

"Good evening everyone. I'll take up my guard position outside, unless you need anything Mistress?"

"First, I'm no longer your Mistress, so you can cut that shit out, and second, I want to know how long you've known. Did you know while we were in New Orleans?"

"Yes I knew and you know damn well I was under orders to keep my mouth shut. And you are still my Mistress, so you cut your own shit out Sookie. I'll be outside; perhaps we can talk after Gran is settled for the night."

Sookie backed down, knowing that Thalia was comfortable with HER and Gran, but not yet everyone in the room. "Sure, we'll talk later. I'll come out to the porch."

"I'm going to take a shower." She looked at Potts and Alcide." I'm sure you're heading out now that Thalia is on guard?"

"We'll stay as long as you need."

"I think I want to wallow tonight guys. I mean, I appreciate the offer, but I need to be alone."

Alcide and Potts left and after Annabelle reported Gran's details to Michele, she left as well. "Sookie, I'm getting into bed. All this movement has me tuckered out. I'll stay up so come in after your shower and we can talk."

"I can help you to bed, I'll just shower later."

"No, Michele is here. You go on. You need the time to yourself." Sookie reached down to hug her sitting Gran than ran off to the shower before the tears started falling again. She'd been holding back since she saw Thalia. Seeing the vampire reminded her that she should have felt Eric rise and she didn't. The bastard was even keeping the bond from her.

OOOoooOOOooo

Peter had left Eric in his coffin with the SUV parked in the garage. When he rose, he was trapped in the coffin until the sunset with only his thoughts to keep him company. He tried doing work on his Blackberry, but found he really couldn't concentrate, so he just stayed still reconsidering his actions over and over again. When the sun set; he rose to go to his chambers to pack for Dallas. As he'd kept everything a secret from Pam, he couldn't ask her to do any prep work for him. He was taken aback to hear her in his shower. "Why are you here?" He asked, surprising her as he entered the bathroom.

"Peter told me to rest here, that you would need me when you rose. Would you mind explaining why the fuck you feel like you favorite puppy just died."

He sighed. Honestly, he'd wanted to sneak out of Shreveport without seeing Pam; he just didn't have time for this. "Why don't you head out to the farmhouse, Sundays are slow at Fangtasia and Sookie will probably need you. I have to pack for Dallas. I will be gone for a few weeks to help with their Fellowship of the Sun problem. You'll need to fill in as Sheriff, monitor Andre and take care of the bar."

"Thanks for the notice."

"This was all determined monarch to monarch for the states."

"Fine." She huffed and dressed. "A few weeks, geez, no wonder you don't seem happy at all. He nodded but kept further details to himself. She'd ream him out later though. He was only putting it off for an hour or two at most. "Ok, I'm, off to take care of Crumbcake. Who is there now?"

"Thalia, I had her move into the farmhouse."

"You aren't telling me something."

"No, I don't have time, Sookie will fill you in." She stared at him. "Go Pam, I'm not talking any further tonight."

She arrived at the farmhouse and waved to Thalia in the woods. She walked up the steps just as Sookie was opening the door. "Muffin, he'll be back in a few weeks, I know you'll miss him, but really, how much have you been crying today? Your face is completely swollen."

"He didn't tell you?"

"I knew he was holding something back, but he wouldn't say what. Tell me."

"He . . . he broke up with me." Though she promised herself she wouldn't cry again, the waterworks started right back up again. She leaned into Pam and the vampire hugged her, offering comfort while she contemplated Sookie's words.

Pam looked to Thalia only to see her nod in confirmation. _'I'll kill him. Right after I cut of his balls with a spoon, wait for them to grow back and do it again._' She guided Sookie to the porch swing and they just sat; Pam holding a weeping Sookie while she tried to figure out what they hell Eric had been thinking. Eventually the crying stopped and her breathing evened out so she signaled to Thalia to help with the door and they got Sookie in bed without waking her. She went back to the porch and Thalia filled her in on as many details as she knew. Thalia had heard Gran and Sookie talking before Gran fell asleep and she was impressed with the old woman's comments. She was clearly pissed at Eric and felt he was wrong, but to help Sookie, she was trying to almost coach her on seeing his side and taking advantage of the time apart to evaluate the relationship. After telling Pam all that information, Pam admitted she was impressed with Gran, as usual. She also noted not to let Eric near the woman until this was resolved. She was pissed at Eric, but she didn't want him dead. Thalia stepped away so Pam could make her call. When Eric didn't answer, she called Godric. Godric answered, skipping all formalities. "His plane is just landing and yes, I'll be kicking his ass."

"So you knew?"

"I only found out this morning from Cara, Ludwig, and Thalia. All voice-mails of course since he did this just before dawn and none of them dared to defy him by warning me." He braced himself before asking his question. "How is she?"

"Heartbroken. Why did he do this? I want to know why!"

"According to Cara, he was concerned she was giving up too much for him: Children and sunlight. He really does believe he's doing it for her."

"That's something at least." She moved to walk further from the porch when she heard a car coming; then relaxed when she saw it was just Potts returning home. "I still plan to beat him senseless."

"Let me handle this Pamela. You take care of Sookie. Keep her together until I can get him to see reason. He is deplaning now, I must go."

Godric opened the car door and exited, noticing the stance of his son. Usually standing tall and confident, he was looking down with his shoulders drooped. He decided tonight was about Eric's feelings first, then he would try to persuade him to see reason. If that didn't work, he would take more drastic measures as needed until Eric saw reason. His child was stubborn, but Godric hoped he would be able to get through that hard head, and quickly.

"Min son, let me get you home and we can talk." Eric only nodded.

The private airfield was only a 15 minute drive from Godric's current home in Dallas. Godric led Eric into the den and seated them to talk. The pain rolling off Eric was evident, even though he had his bond closed, likely for Sookie. "Do you want to talk?" He shook his head no. "Then we won't talk yet. Come." He opened his arms and Eric moved so Godric could hold him. They just stayed like that almost an hour. Eric just sat silently taking comfort from Godric, knowing that soon he'd need to defend his actions to Godric, but he pushed that back for now.

Finally, when he felt it was time to move forward, Godric asked for an explanation. "Can you tell me why you felt the need to leave Sookie?"

"It would seem you already know what's going on."

"I want to hear it from you."

"She doesn't deserve me."

"No, nor did I deserve Maria, but we loved. And now, you finally love something more than yourself so you can understand how I felt about Maria. The ultimatum is over my son, it's been over since I first saw you with Sookie in December. You love and are loved, unconditionally. You should enjoy that love."

"I want what is best for her, and that's not me."

"I don't agree with you. I think you are the best thing for her and you've made the biggest mistake of your undead life."

"I was expecting this, but was it too much to hope that my maker would try to support me?"

"I am supporting YOU by trying to get you to see what you've done."

"I gave her a life back, a chance for normalcy."

"You have never been in a relationship like this. Your human marriages were not based on love, no thought, no emotions. Theresa announced just last month that she's leaving me to pursue a family and Rasul's companion just did the same."

"Exactly! I don't want Sookie to have regrets."

"Let's do this. You're now stuck here in Dallas, likely for a few weeks. Sookie is well protected physically, though is broken otherwise, but she's safe. Pam is going to keep her going while you get your head out of your ass."

"I don't have. . ."

"Do NOT interrupt me! " Godric actually raised his voice, a very rare occurrence and Eric shut up. "You will see your error here. We are going to talk through this for the remainder of the night; then when you rise tomorrow, you will call Sookie and check on her. I will ensure that Pam is there to get Sookie on the phone. What else you tell her will be something you decide tonight. I have some bagged blood we can heat up and we will talk at the kitchen table. We will make one of those lists I have heard about: Pros and Cons. We will apply that logic for which you are regarded and you WILL see reason. I gave this some thought since I had time after hearing the messages about you and Sookie and before the sun set."

As Godric stated, they sat at the kitchen table, a sheet of blank paper in front of Eric and a pen in his hand. He thought this was unnecessary. He'd made the required sacrifice because he loved Sookie. The decision was made. Godric could feel his son's resistance, but he persisted. Via her near constant texts tonight, Pam had suggested the list to Godric since she was such a close study of humans, and he felt it was worthy of exploration. "Start with two columns labeled:

*Staying with Sookie is good because

*Staying with Sookie is bad because"

Godric had Eric word the columns exactly as he noted having considered the best way to get Eric to really think. Writing just Pro and Con at the top was just too vague and would generate equally vague answers. Eric added the columns as Godric asked. "Now, start with the good list."

"She . . . I . . . No, I'm not doing this." He looked at Godric and saw only an angry glare.

"Start writing. NOW."

He grimaced out a fine and proceeded to write down basically all the things he would miss now that she was out of his life. Making the list was painful as it brought forth the things he decided to lock away right after he walked away from Sookie and got in his coffin. When he was done that side, Godric picked up the paper to read his son's comments. Then he handed it back and told Eric to read the list. He glowered at Godric but complied.

"*She makes me laugh

*I can trust her with Sheriff business and even strategize with her

*The vampires in my retinue respect her, many even like her

*She made my house a home

*She was considering becoming my eternal companion

*She was my most satisfying lover, ever

*She shared her family with Pam and me

*My child loves her

*I I . . . I love her"

"That was hard I am sure. Let us continue with the other list. Why is staying with Sookie bad?" They conducted the same exercise ending with Eric reading the list. Godric was going to need to push a little on this he was sure.

"*I'm holding her back from a normal life

*I can't give her children

*I can't spend time with her in the sunlight

*Being with me could get her killed

*She is a distraction that could get me killed

*She could leave me"

"What did Sookie say when you told her you were leaving her? Specifically, when you told her you were giving her the option for children or a normal 24X7 relationship."

"She of course answered that she didn't need to have children and she would rather have me part time than not at all."

"Why don't you believe her?"

"She hasn't thought about this. Rasul told me his companion denied these as issues until some of her friends started having babies. Suddenly, she needed a baby. I want to save Sookie from needing to make this decision herself. With her proclivity towards selflessness, she would stay with me and deny her own needs."

"Bullshit Eric. You got scared. You decided FOR Sookie that she could possibly decide to leave you and you wanted to prevent that by taking control now. You can't control love Eric. You have to feel it, and you most certainly do."

"I am NOT trying to control a situation."

"Aren't you?" Godric was getting agitated now and stood to continue. "Cara told me that you made all these decisions and started executing on it 2 nights before you left for New Orleans, then you had an army fixing Gran's, moving Sookie out, arranging for her safety. When did you share it with Sookie?: Only after you had physically removed her from your life. THAT'S control. What time of the day did you tell her? Right before dawn on the morning you were leaving for Dallas, a trip you could not miss. THAT'S control. How did you handle all the staff that would be needed for Sookie's Gran? You paid them for a full year up front so Sookie wouldn't need to deal with it, or come to you for any help. Should I go on? Eric, everything you did is classic Eric in control."

He leaned into Eric's space. "Let's try this. You will move here with me permanently. As your maker, I can override your Sheriff contract. I have decided. Pamela can move with you or you can keep her in Louisiana."

"You wouldn't."

"No Eric I wouldn't make any such decision that would impact YOUR life that much. Do you really want to unilaterally make decisions FOR her?"

"I wanted to take away the burden of making this decision for her."

"She already DECIDED to be with you. You haven't taken that burden from her, you DISREGARDED the decision she already made. You also state that being with you could get her killed. She's already OUTED my foolish son. Too many vampires are aware of her, and now she'll be in even more danger since she'll appear to be without an owner. Having her bonded to you didn't prevent her kidnapping. If you're together at least others will see who owns her." He was pacing now to relieve his building anger. "You'll be lucky if she takes you back."

Desperately needing to calm down, he paced the perimeter of the room several more times before asking more questions. "Rasul and his companion; were they bonded? Had he made that level of commitment to HER?" Godric already knew the answer from Thalia.

Eric's face changed just a bit and Godric wondered if he was getting through. "No."

"And Theresa, had she CHOSEN to build a life with a vampire?"

Eric rubbed his face in frustration starting to see Godric's point. He answered very quietly. "No."

"When did you first learn that Sookie didn't want children? Before you were dating, or after as if she was making an excuse?"

He stared at his maker with his eyes rimmed in red and barely whispered, "before."

Godric nodded. Based on the turmoil, self loathing and sadness he felt through the bond he had succeeded. Now he needed to postpone their first meeting about the Fellowship so Eric could have time to call Sookie at first dark. "I need to call Isobel about our meeting tomorrow night. You will sit here, read your lists and think about what I said. I've been around for a while, maybe there is some value in my opinion."

After Godric left the room, Eric did stare at the list and considered Godric's questions and statements. His head hit the table and he started to question what he had done and if Sookie would even talk to him now. After a few minutes, he called Pam. There was nothing pleasant about her answer. "What do you want?"

"Is she up?"

Pam headed for the door to finish the conversation outdoors so she wouldn't wake Gran or Sookie. "I'm leaving you. You can have my share of Fangtasia; I'll work to build my other business holdings. You released me years ago. I know you can still command me, but I ask you to refrain. I told you I wouldn't tolerate it if you hurt her. I'll watch over everything until you return; then I'm gone." He'd expected something from Pamela, but willingly giving up Fangtasia and branching out to earn her own money? She was REALLY pissed; shoes were NOT getting him out of this mess.

"Pamela, is she up?"

"We just got her calm again. I put her to bed at about 9 but she woke up crying an hour ago. I'm not waking her.

"Not even for me to tell her I was wrong?"

Pam almost stumbled she was so shocked. Godric had done it, and in hours. "How have you come to this realization? Don't get me wrong, if you're sincere now I'm thrilled, but she can't handle you vacillating on this. How the fuck did you come to the decision to leave her in the first place?"

"Pam, I just went through this with Godric, I don't want to repeat it all now. If she wakes, can you call me so I can talk to her?"

"No. I think you should just sit on this for the day, you already acted rashly on this. Be sure."

"You are defying me?"

"Please don't command me to have her call you. Please. Spend the rest of the time before dawn thinking about your decision; write down what you want to say. Maybe write her a letter. It may be better than talking to her."

"Why is that?"

"Honestly, Gran's been trying to get her to see your point of view so. . ."

"Really? So she won't hate me?"

"You cut me off. As I was saying, Gran's been trying to get her to see your point of view so Sookie could stop and think about your reasons for leaving her; she wants Sookie to try to see if you could be right." He didn't like the sound of that. "She's not telling her to accept what you did; rather she's saying to take advantage of the time apart so you can both be sure. Don't expect her to fall all over you just because you admitted a mistake. The mess you left us required that we find some way to help her through this. That help could come back and bite you in the ass tonight. Hell, I hope the spitfire hangs up on you and makes you beg from Dallas while you're gone."

"PAMELA!"

"I won't suggest that, but I can hope for it. So, will you push the issue and order me to have her call you IF she wakes tonight."

"No, I see your points. So Gran can see why I did this? She's not mad?"

"Oh Eric, she had her nurse go through her jewelry boxes looking for silver she's so pissed. She said those things to help Sookie process this. She knows you were wrong and you're going to be paying for this for a long time."

He sighed. Honestly he knew Gran would be upset but he was so SURE in his thinking he believed he would never see the woman again. All the decisions he made in the past week were rash, poorly thought out and wrong, so very wrong. He wondered how he could have let himself spiral out of control. He knew the answer: Fear that Sookie would leave him.

"Are you staying there for the day?"

"Yes."

"I will call Potts after I rise to get a feel for the situation."

Pam hung the phone up after that last comment. Potts and Thalia had joined her and she filled them in. Potts laughed. "He's going to need to grovel after we just spent time trying to convince her of his points so she could start healing. I know she'll take him back, but it's not going to be easy. She's moving on from hurt to pissed, and we all know what that can be like."

Thalia shook her head. "I don't understand."

Potts laughed again. "That's right, the vampires of area 5 only met Sookie after she and Eric started dating. Let me tell you about their first 2 months. You'll enjoy this."

"Does this have to do with a story Eric promised to tell me about Sookie's first night with Eric.

The two women snickered. "It certainly begins there." The three walked the perimeter and cackled as Pam and Potts shared stories about Eric and Sookie's initial and oh so pleasant encounters, each feeding off the other. Bubba stayed vigilant in the woods, but kept an ear open so he could chuckle at the stories as well. It sounded like Master Eric and Mistress Sookie sure could fight. He hoped they could get past this situation. He liked them both and Miss Adele, his charge very much.

OOOoooOOOooo

Back in Dallas, Godric was surprised by the bond he shared with his maker, the Ancient Pythoness. Normally, she kept the bond closed and he'd just finished rescheduling the meetings with his fellow Sheriffs when he felt the bond open. He could feel that she was upset, possibly angry and CLOSE, suddenly very close. Eric ran to the office to ask Godric what he was feeling. "My maker is here. Prepare yourself my son." Eric was shocked. He'd never met Godric's maker, and because Godric was commanded to be silent on the identity; Eric didn't even know who this vampire was. They both approached the door. The knock came seconds later and just after Godric opened the door he fell to his knees Eric knelt as well, even before he looked at Godric's maker.

"Rise from your knees my child and my grandchild." Eric gasped. He knew that voice. "Yes Eric, I am your maker's maker. Please rise so I can enter and we can speak. You've done something that needs to be fixed." Eric and Godric stood and made room for the Ancient Pythoness. She turned to her guards. "You may stay outside. My child and grandchild can assist me here."

Once settled in the living room with Godric's help, the Ancient Pythoness wasted no time and spoke to Eric. "You were supposed to pledge to the Brigant girl. My visions were lining up perfectly until you just did something that added far too many disastrous scenarios. Explain."

Eric's eyes were wide, '_she said Brigant and that I was supposed to be pledged, what the fuck is going on?_' Eric swallowed, and unnecessary movement for a vampire and formed his words carefully. "Are you saying that Sookie is a descendant of Niall Brigant?"

"She is. Adele has not shared the background yet?"

"I determined there was fairy involved, but nothing further. I don't think Adele is going to share with me anytime soon."

"Yes, you don't piss that woman off. So you released the girl and left her?"

He nodded the acknowledgement but added, "It was a mistake."

"It most certainly was. You need to fix this."

"I plan to. Can you tell me, and I ask this with respect: why do you care about my mate?"

"Many things are yet for you to know. In my visions I saw a future that was chaos, fighting between humans and all the Supernatural with no victor. I challenged some of the older vampires in the world to help me alter that particular course of history. Who and how are not your concern. Your concern is your particular role and you must repair the relationship with Sookie. I mean within days grandchild. Unfortunately, you cannot leave Dallas with the Fellowship problem so I suggest you start a calling and writing campaign and grovel if you will. I cannot help you directly with Sookie as her Grandfather Fintan has passed to Summerland and Niall; well he's got a few too many problems of his own to help her."

"I clearly don't understand. You want me mated to a human fairy hybrid?"

"Don't be daft. I wanted you to learn respect for all species. Godric set the details on how to accomplish that on his own, though I might have told him loving a human would work." She made a self-satisfied smile, and thought to herself. '_Of course I wanted the best mate for my own grandchild, and I may have manipulated their meeting, a bit, but he doesn't need to know that_.' She turned serious again, very quickly. "Human's acceptance of vampires is fragile. With Shifters and Weres already discussing their reveal, we need strong leaders from all races that can try to unite everyone. I will say no more except get to work Viking."

Godric who had remained quiet during the exchange spoke. "Master, you are welcome to rest with us this day."

"As much as I would love to watch my grandchild humble himself to fix things with his mate, I must decline. My trip, as always, must be kept secret."

"The phone Pythia, you should seriously consider one."

"I understand one of my handmaidens finally got one of those contraptions, so it's getting closer my son." He just laughed as he helped her to the door. One of her guards handed her a small package. "Oh Viking." He met her at the door. "This is for you." She gave Eric the box; then turned and left.

Eric opened the box and found a copy of the movie Gone with the Wind. A note was taped to the top.

_My Grandchild:_

_This is her favorite movie and she has always dreamed of owning something called Tara from the film._

_Have Godric contact me with the details and I will officiate at your Pledging. _

_Fix this, _

_Your Grandsire_


	34. Too much to live for

**It'll be a few days – maybe next weekend before I post again- but you've gotten three in a row as promised.**

**Some of you hoped Sookie wouldn't be stubborn, some of you wanted her to make him grovel (quite a few actually), one thought I wrote that Sookie should make him pay (I tweaked my letter to clarify that that was not my position – I guess the teaser I had up was what gave that impression). While I can't make everyone happy, I hope Sookie's plan satisfies most of you.**

**~mags**

Chapter 33 – Too Much To Live For

February 9, 2013

Annabelle, Gran's Physical Therapist and Gran woke Sookie mid morning the next day with their chatter in the hallway. She waited until she heard them in the kitchen then left the room to take a shower. Taking a glance in the mirror was shocking. Of course she knew she had a rough night and wouldn't look great but she looked absolutely horrible. Her complexion was both extremely pale in some spots but red and blotchy in others, darkness circled below her eyes, her lower lip was peeling from all the chewing she'd done on it and her eyes were puffy from the almost constant crying. She spent a moment being thankful for her friends. Pam had been there every time she woke to help her, at least until the sun came up when Potts took over. She looked again in the mirror and decided that the crying was over, mostly because she didn't think it was physically possible to keep crying but also because she was going to follow Gran's advice and take the time Eric was in Dallas to evaluate Eric's comments about children and 'normal' husbands.

For now, she was home in Bon Temps, Gran was going to get stronger and she had friends to visit. She decided to check out Tara's new store after breakfast as the first step on her new outlook.

She greeted everyone in the kitchen brightly and grabbed a yogurt before joining Annabelle, Gran and Potts at the table. "Is that all you're having dear?" Gran asked.

"I need to eat quickly since I want to head out to Tara's Togs. I haven't seen it yet and I have my new credit cards to try out."

"What are you talking about baby?"

"Oh Gran, Uncle Des set up my accounts for payments from the Queen and sent me the credit/debit cards to access the account. Between the pay I get from Sophie-Anne and the settlement from the kidnapping, we won't want for anything."

Potts listened to the exchange and was torn. She had a letter Eric had written just before dawn he'd asked her to print and give to Sookie this morning, but Sookie seemed good right now. She knew from Pam that he recognized his mistake now, so maybe the letter would be received well. She considered the consequences of withholding the letter. '_Eric will be unhappy, strike that, he'll be pissed if I don't give it to her this morning and it provides some relief to Sookie. I'll be mad at myself, and likely so will Gran if I give her the letter and it brings her down_.' She decided the letter was Sookie's, and that she was just the mailman if you will so she went to her bedroom to retrieve it while Sookie ate. She stalled upstairs to brush her teeth and check her hair but eventually ran out of excuses and headed down. At least Sookie finished her yogurt; she'd only picked at her food the day before. "Sookie, I have a letter from Eric."

He while face changed at the announcement, but she didn't cry; if Potts could describe it, she would say it was a mixture of concern and happiness. "Thank you." She looked to her Gran. "I think I'll go outside to read this."

"I'll be here if you want to talk." Sookie bent down to kiss Gran and then walked out the door.

Sookie pulled her favorite lounger from the tool shed and set it in the sun. The temperature wasn't that high right now, but the sun still felt great on her skin. She took a breath and opened the letter.

_Min älskade:_

_I wrote out several versions of this note, some with lengthy details about my reasons and feelings. I decided that simple was better._

_I WISH I could take back every action and word that removed you from my life. _

_I don't know if you'll accept me back or not as I know I hurt you very badly. I'll give you space if you need for now but know that just as you stated: I'll fight for you. I'll stalk you, I won't give you up. _

_I will call Pam tonight and I hope you will talk to me, even just so I can be sure you are well. Unfortunately, due to the agreement between Louisiana and Texas, I cannot leave Dallas or I would be on my knees begging you for forgiveness. The moment my obligations here are complete, I will make my way to you._

_Yours forever_

_Eric_

Sookie read the short letter several times before she could even begin reacting. Was she happy that Eric realized the mistake? Yes. Was she pissed he had caused all this turmoil without thinking it through or talking to her? Most definitely. Was she going to make him pay? No, not make him pay, but they had these days apart anyway. Her Gran had made some good points yesterday. They'd only been dating since Thanksgiving and here it wasn't even Valentine's Day and they had committed to each other. That didn't make it wrong, but it wouldn't hurt to explore it since he wasn't here anyway. She decided to speak to him when he called. Everything that happened didn't stop her from loving him and they were both hurting. If a phone call could ease that, she would certainly do it. She congratulated herself for NOT crying and headed back to the kitchen. All eyes were on her searching for her reaction. "I'm fine." She said to calm them and she nudged Potts. "You ready to go to Tara's with me?"

"Sure Sookie. I'll tell Peter we're off."

Sookie enjoyed the visit with Tara and selected several nice dresses for palace type work, a few casual outfits for hanging around town, and some selections for Potts and Pam. Tara was beaming as she showed off her business and described how well she'd been doing, even enticing some of the ladies who normally drove to Shreveport for their shopping. Sookie paid for her purchases using her new credit card and they headed out.

Deciding to embrace the full 'Bon Temps' experience, Sookie towed Potts to Merlotte's. She figured some people would have questions, but she never thought she'd get the reaction she did. Arlene was the first person to see her and she promptly burst into tears. "Oh God Sookie, I'm sorry about Rene. I didn't know."

Sookie answered coolly. "I know you didn't know he was the murderer Arlene, but that doesn't change the fact that you insulted me when you came to see Gran."

She wiped her tears and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Sookie, you're living with a monster. I had to help. You're my friend."

"A friend wouldn't call my fiancé a monster." While Sookie was unsure about the relationship, Arlene didn't need to know that.

She now yelled instead of whispering. "fiancé!? Sookie, he's a vampire; they're all monsters."

"So are all humans monsters since your fiancé raped and murdered 5 girls and tried to kill me?" She narrowed her eyes. "You will not speak about my life and choices again Arlene. Now if you will excuse me, I have a craving for a burger Lafayette and I want to visit with folks who will actually be happy to see me." She walked by Arlene with Potts at her back and headed to the kitchen pass thru. "LALA! Get your butt out here!"

Her flamboyant friend squealed and ran out from the kitchen. Sookie was grabbed and spun around a few times before he put her down. "Hows you doing hookah?"

"Better for having seen you. Potts this is the Lala or Lafayette I've told you about. Lafayette, this is my friend Potts. I dragged her skinny butt in here for one of your famous burgers."

They chatted for several minutes until Sam exited his office and interrupted. "CHERE?" Sam asked when he saw her.

"Hey Sam. I was wondering where you were."

He moved to hug her while he explained. "I had a supplier meeting in my office. How are you do. . ." He moved away from her as if he'd been yanked back by a string.

"What's wrong Sam?"

He hissed out his reason. "You reek of Northman." He guided her into the office, Potts followed and Lala stayed in the hallway as Sam shut the door.

Sookie's reply was composed. "Of course I do Sam. We're bonded and engaged."

"Vampires and humans can't marry Sookie. He's using the blood to manipulate you." She shook her head no. "He is Sookie, you would never love a monster like Eric."

She closed her eyes and counted to 10 to calm down. Finally she opened her eyes and responded calmly. "Sam, we are going to be pledged, I'm sure you know the difference between that and a human marriage. As for your comment about blood, he's not manipulating me. I did have a small amount when I first moved in, but that faded quickly - and before we started dating. Also, it would have been much easier for Eric if he had been able to manipulate me with his blood, it just doesn't work that way for us. Finally, you WILL NOT refer to him as a monster again or I'll have you speak to Arlene about my perspective on that shit."

"Sookie, I know you're his captive but. . ."

"I'm not."

"What?"

"The punishment has been put aside. It's a long story but I'm no longer a prisoner of the vampire legal system."

"Then you're WILLINGLY throwing your life away? You'll never have children with him, you'll whither in the dark. One day when your looks change, he'll dump you."

"SAM Merlotte! Do you want to have a nice conversation and catch up? Cause if you've decided to just sit and judge me cause I'm the one that got away, I'll get my burgers to go."

"I don't know Chere, maybe you better go home and shower me off; Northman might punish his pet for touching another man."

"Knock it off Sam. I think you just answered my question about having a nice conversation." She left the office and yelled into the kitchen. "Lala, make a dozen of the burgers to go." She turned to Potts. "We'll share them with the folks back at the house."

"You gots it girl."

Burgers in hand, they headed back to the farmhouse and were surprised to see Alcide's truck in the driveway. He saw her grabbing the shopping bags and came to help. "Hey Sweets, how are you today?"

"I'm good. We've got some burgers here, want to join us?"

"Sure."

"Whatcha doing here anyway?"

"I have some plans for the Compton property to show you."

"I'm starving, so I won't even get into what you mean until I have some food first. I have a feeling I'm not going to like it."

Alcide grimaced. He suspected the email from Northman was a secret from Sookie, but he was clearly told to review the plans with Sookie today. He hoped it meant there was a chance for the pair.

Sookie yelled to Peter. "Got a burger for you, I'll fix you a plate."

They finished their late lunch quickly and after Sookie wiped the table, Alcide rolled out the plans he'd been asked to create. Her eyes went wide and misted a bit – but she did NOT cry. She reached out and found Gran's hand. "I never told him Gran. Did you?"

"No baby."

"I've never even mentioned the movie to him. I don't know how it never came up, but it didn't. I don't know how he could have possibly known."

Potts and Annabelle were at a loss. Potts was the one that asked. "Sookie, what is this?"

He eyes never left the first blue print on the table, but she answered. "It's Tara."

Potts was still perplexed and looked to Alcide. "I got an email from Northman before dawn this morning. He wants Compton's home torn down and this built in its place. It's the mansion from the plantation in the movie Gone with the Wind."

"I've always dreamed of living in it. I just don't know how he could know." She sighed. "When Alcide showed up and told me why he had these floor plans, I was ready to be pissed at Mr. High Handed but I can't find it in me to follow through with that. This, I mean, that he somehow found out and is delivering me my dream is overwhelming."

"Do you want to look at these later Sweets?"

"No Alcide, show me everything." Alcide reviewed the blueprints and specifications he had put together. They walked to the property and discussed exact placement, Sookie growing more excited with each detail. She was beaming with excitement as she reviewed the information with Gran, who had retired to her bed for a short nap and woke when she heard Sookie and Alcide return.

After situating Gran in the living room, she pulled Alcide outside for a chat. "Tell me what's going on with you, or I'll pull it from your head."

He blew out a large breath. "You haven't listened yet?"

"No and it's been killing me. I kinda hoped you'd share when we were walking the other property, like you wanted some privacy, but I can tell something's eaten at you."

"I broke up with Debbie. Actually, we've been having problems for a while, but I found out she's been cheating on me and that's the last straw."

She reached up to hug her friend. "Alcide, I'm sorry. It's not a good month for relationships, is it?"

"You seem in better spirits today."

"He wrote me a letter. The gist of it is he regrets his actions. We're talking tonight. I mean, it's not back to where we were since he's still gone for work and all, but we'll get there. He hurt me, and I need to process that."

"You're a processor, didya ever notice that?"

"Maybe it's just how my funky brain works." She nudged his hips with her elbow. "So how long before you ask Potts out?" His jaw dropped at her proclamation but he said nothing. "I didn't listen, I swear, but the phrase 'stolen glances' applies for the two of you."

"You think you're so smart."

"Just observant." She checked her watch. "I need to make my call. Any chance you and your power hearing buddies can be far enough away to give me some semblance or privacy?"

"Go to your Gran's room and run the humidifier. It'll cover everything if we're outside. If your vampires in the safe room are up, they'll still hear it though, just letting you know."

"Well, that's not good."

"Hang on, I'll grab the humidifier and we'll run to Compton's and plug it in. I checked the power when we were there."

"Thanks Alcide. Better take Potts so you can walk the perimeter." She smirked.

"Don't push."

Alcide had her settled in Compton's living room on an outside chaise they carried from the farmhouse; Sookie didn't want to sit on any of the disgusting furniture. After Alcide and Potts left to secure the area she took a deep breath and reminded herself not to cry, over and over again. Finally she was ready and she dialed.

In Dallas, Eric was awake and showered and just starting Norse work on his computer when his phone rang. He'd left it on the nightstand in Godric's room so Godric grabbed for it as he was closer. He smiled when he saw the caller ID and handed the phone to his son. "I'll be in the den if you want me."

Knots formed in Eric's stomach as he answered the phone. "Sookie?"

"Hi." '_Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry_.'

"I'm sorry. I acted rashly. I should have discussed it with you."

"Yes, you should have."

"And I shouldn't have waited for dawn; even though I did not plan it with any thought, I believe I did that subconsciously to make it easier to leave."

"Easier for YOU."

"I see that now." There was a moment of two of silence when he offered. "I love you."

"I love you too, but you hurt me Eric. Badly."

"I know. I won't do it again."

"No, you won't." Her words scared him. Did she mean she wouldn't give him the chance? "Eric, we've had this same problem several times, though not as big as this. You constantly make decisions for us and for ME without discussing it. You really thought I could move on while we would see each other for work? When we would need to exchange blood forever?"

"I had planned to ask Ludwig to collect the blood for us to drink it."

"I don't even want to respond to that." Eric started to say something and she cut him off. "This wasn't an immediate danger situation. Hell, I don't even know where this came from. I need time and you need to focus on Dallas. Give me a few days and I'll call you when I'm ready to talk."

"Sookie?" His voice was shaky.

"Eric, I've been a mess and I need to wrap my head around the way you tossed me from your life and then how quickly you recognized that your actions were a mistake. I'm a fragile human, remember. I can't make the turnaround as quickly as you."

"What about the bond, can we open it?" He was begging her.

"YOU are the one that closed it and it really pissed me off, but now I think it's a good idea to keep it closed."

THAT hurt, but he could do nothing. He was quiet while he decided his next statement. "I will respect your wishes on the bond." He sighed and added, "I love you, please remember that."

"And more importantly, I love you so don't get hurt. I need you to be around so I can give you a proper piece of my mind over your actions." Her voice lightened a bit as she said that and it gave him a small bit of hope.

OOOoooOOOooo

Four long nights had passed since Eric had spoken to Sookie and he was beginning to lose hope. Without the bond he had no way of gauging what she was doing or thinking. Pam was no help either; keeping their communications to his area business or Fangtasia. To exist, and that was all he was trying to do, he rested, took his blood from bags and spent time trying to come up with ways to soften Sookie's heart towards him. If only she was materialistic, but he laughed, then she wouldn't be the person he fell in love with.

Godric had been keeping a careful eye on his son, and he observed him bordering on despair. Eric was able to focus on the meetings, but once they were back home, he withdrew, not even talking to Godric. He would not intervene further though. Sookie had the right to make her own decision on Eric's actions, though he knew she was hurting as well. He received an update from Cara each day. Cara reported that while Sookie put on a brave face during the day for Gran, at night, she and Pam needed to constantly care for Sookie; sometimes calming her from a crying fit, sometimes saving the knick knacks in the house from a tantrum. Her most recent text was the first time Godric started to relax about the situation:

C: I believe the hurt and anger are abating. She still wants to talk through his reasons and discuss what all this means for them, but Pam and I feel that she has reached her limit of being without Eric. Please don't say anything in case we are wrong, but I think she will call him soon.

G: This is good news. Thanks to you and Pam.

C: Just make sure he's not an ass, it won't take much for her to blow up and become angry again.

G: He won't, he's prepared to beg for her forgiveness.

C: Can you film that?

G: You'd like that wouldn't you?

He hoped Cara was right. He felt Eric moving in his room, next to Godric's. He sent a silent prayer to Toutatis, the last god he worshipped as a human, to have Sookie call, even if it was to yell at Eric. His prayer was answered as he heard Eric answer his phone and flood the maker child bond with emotion: joy, hope, guilt, longing all mixing around. He waited in his chamber for news to give Eric space.

"Hi."

"Hi Eric. How are you?"

"Physically I am fine and the meetings are progressing. Otherwise all I do is miss you. How are you?"

"Similar, Gran's rehab is progressing but when I'm not focused on that, I miss you."

"Then are we good?"

She snorted since she was crying a bit and his words caused a jolt of laughter. "No Eric we can't just jump to being good." That worried him, but her next words calmed him a bit. "Here's what we need to do. We have time since we're apart anyway. Let's commit to really thinking through our obstacles. Children, sunlight, and the stuff you call normalcy for me; and you need to consider a life with a human, a fragile human that's going to grow in popularity among your kind. I also want you to consider if adoption or artificial insemination would be an option for you if I really do want to have children."

"Of cour. . ."

"Stop Eric. We have time, no rash decisions. For the children question – really think about it. Could you raise someone else's child, could you see me pregnant, even from artificial insemination, and it not be your child? If I did have children I would want a partner in dirty diapers, difficult decisions and feedings in addition to the joys of parenthood. I want us to spend time on this each night or day as it is. We can talk each night, but I want to commit to really thinking us through. Because if we do this and we decide to move forward and pledge, you WILL NEVER doubt us, you WILL NEVER question my commitment, you WILL NEVER hurt me like this again, ever."

He was quiet and he considered what she was saying. He'd done all those things when he disregarded the decision and the commitment she'd already given and she'd done NOTHING to cause the doubt. He deserved her reaction; not that it was a punishment it was more like he'd caused the need for this reflection time. Luckily they were far apart physically or it would be even more painful: To be close and unable to touch her. Sookie stood still, not worried, not upset while he thought. She knew he was probably a bit taken aback that she just didn't 'jump in his arms' in a way that could be done over the phone so he needed time to consider her proposal. Finally he said. "I agree to this. Are you on human or vampire hours right now?"

"I'm a bit messed up on sleep patterns right now, I think if we talk around now each night it would be best. Alcide set me up with a place to have a private conversation while he and Potts patrol, so this is best for now."

He was disappointed that they would have one call a day while he was gone, but he needed to remain cognizant that she was also trying to care for her Gran who was on human hours. "Ok Min älskade, we'll talk this time each day." He paused and Sookie remained quiet. "I want to tell you more about what I've been thinking about under Godric's guidance. I think it would be good information for both of our reflections. Can I do that?"

Sookie wasn't sure she wanted to know, but she was the one that set the directive that they reflect and his thinking would certainly need to be part of that. "Go on."

"Godric, in our 1000 years together has taught me many things. He taught me to survive, he taught me to trust, he taught me subtleties of politics and most importantly he taught me to listen to him. You were probably expecting me to say he taught me to love, and he did but the night I arrived here, his most important lesson was listening to him. What I'm saying is: I realize now what I did, and why I did it. Sookie, I love you so much and I used snippets of irrelevant data to make a decision for us and I should have never done that. I saw two vampires lose their companions because they could not father children, I felt your sadness when you spoke to Theresa and I assumed you were upset that I could not father children. So rather than continue down our path where you would never have the children you wanted or you left me to do it, I pre-empted what I thought was an eventuality and left you before you left me."

Sookie gasped in shock. He really thought that eventually she would leave him and he acted before she could.

He continued on. "In my human and vampire life, I've never allowed myself to feel regret. Keeping my family alive was my priority as a human and I couldn't afford the luxury of the emotion. As a vampire, well we live too damn long to allow regret. With these actions, I've now experience regret and I am overwhelmed by it. With Godric's help, I realize that I acted rashly. I didn't think through the two companion situations fully and just quickly equated them to us."

"Give me a minute Eric." He did, he waited patiently while she sorted through his comments. "I know you and Theresa weren't bonded, what about the other companion and her vampire, were they bonded?"

"No, this is one of the 'I acted rashly' examples. Companions usually are bonded or plan to bond but both couples were not. I didn't consider the differences between them and us."

"I can understand where you were headed, I don't like it, but I understand. I realize you thought you were sacrificing for me. It doesn't take the hurt away."

"Even with the bond closed, I know I hurt you."

"I miss the bond."

"So, can we agree to share the bond? I've kept my side closed, can I open it? Will I have your side available to me when I do?"

"I just don't know that it would be a good idea while we go through our reflection. Plus, I'm pretty sure you're going to be engaged in stuff that I don't want to feel."

"Can we open it during our calls? Just for that time each day?" Again he was begging for the bond; not feeling her was causing him physical pain.

"Yes, we can do that." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, they both opened the bond full up. Sookie felt a wave of dizziness from it, but calmed after a moment and breathed, "That's better."

"Yes it most certainly is." Wanting to move onto something he hoped was pleasant he asked, "So, anything about Alcide's plans for Compton's old property you want to discuss?"

She recognized the need to change the topic and was relieved herself; the call had been difficult and a bit awkward so far. "HOW DID YOU KNOW?"

"It's actually a secret source that I can't reveal."

She grumped. "Won't or can't?"

"Truly can't."

"You know I can check my brother, Tara and Lala for glamour, they'd be the only possibilities. "

"It didn't come from any of them I promise." He smiled, she wasn't mad, he could feel her joy over the topic of the building plans and that made him happy. "I just don't know that I should have him start anything. I mean, what if after we're done reflecting we decide not to be together?"

He wanted to yell that there was no way that was happening, but he promised to spend the time reflecting so that comment wouldn't work. Instead he offered. "Why don't you have him tear down the existing shack and clean the site? Those tasks need to be done regardless for safety reasons?"

"It's not a shack; it's a large antebellum home."

"That's ready to fall over. You can also make some decisions on building specifications. Those decisions could take weeks anyway."

Pleased that he didn't just blurt out that they were staying together, she listened to his thoughts and agreed to the ideas. She told him about the plans from Alcide and he was impressed that the wolf was able to pull so much together so quickly. When he mentioned that to Sookie, she informed him that plans for the fictitious house were available already and he purchased those with the idea that they could customize and tweak where needed. That led to a discussion about what tweaks she would want and he was surprised that while she was in love with the overall look of the home, she wanted it on a smaller scale. He would just talk to her about the size later and they would make the decision together. They spoke until shortly after the sun had fully set in Dallas and Godric had come to collect Eric for their meetings.

Sookie heard Godric call to Eric. "Min son, we must get going, I cannot be late for a meeting with my fellow Sheriffs and the King."

"I must go. I love you and am already looking forward to our call tomorrow."

"Yes, don't make your daddy mad." She chuckled. "I love you too, please be safe."

"Always. I have too much to live for min älskade."


	35. And One Step Back

**Hi all:**

**Back with more for Beauty and the Vampire Beast. It's another one that's a cliffy so I plan to post chapter 35 tomorrow AND I've updated the teaser page (see my profile for the link to on my wordpress site)**

**As you can see below, it's called And One Step Back, sometimes Eric is slow to learn I guess.**

**Enjoy - and take a moment to comment/review for me, please?**

**~mags**

Chapter 34 – And One Step Back

February 13, 2004

"So what do you think Gran?"

"I think it's a good plan Sookie. I know you love Eric, but take this time for yourself. Visit with Tara and Lafayette, go dancing, be lazy at home – lord knows I have enough nurses and other help."

"Gran, did I tell you I found out he paid them all for a full year, up front!?" She shook her head as if those actions surprised her. "He didn't want me to worry about anything."

"I know he loves you. That doesn't mean he's not going to hear about his actions from me, but I think he really did leave you thinking it was best for you."

"Eh, enough about all this. What can I fix you for dinner?"

"Oh, tomorrow I need to get back to my more normal schedule for meals. You eat every meal too late due to your vampire hours."

"What about vampire hours Gran?"

"Oh, good evening Pam, Thalia. How are you ladies tonight?"

"I'm fine. Sookie, you seem better."

"I called him."

"Everything is good?" Pam's face lit up a bit and Thalia actually smiled.

"Well, we're taking the time apart to reflect and be sure." Pam's face fell. "It's just some time Pam, I think it's a good idea." Pam simply nodded.

"I regret that I actually must leave you tonight for Fangtasia, so I can only visit for a short while, but Thalia will be staying. If it's OK, I plan to come here to rest again though, I mean as long as Eric is away."

Gran answered while Sookie took Pam's hand. "Pam, you ask every night since Eric left and I keep telling you, this is your home for as long as you want or need it to be."

"Thank you Gran."

Thalia took her position outside, relieving Peter while Pam stayed with the women in the kitchen. She watched Sookie carefully, looking for any clues since she really didn't understand this 'some time' business. While Sookie cooked, Pam set the table for Gran, Sookie and the nurse, an act that still surprised the Were nurse. Soon enough though, dinner was over and Pam reluctantly left for Fangtasia knowing Sookie would be asleep when she returned. She didn't like Sookie on human hours.

OOOoooOOOooo

The next evening, Sookie and Eric were having their first daily talk.

"The flowers were lovely. Gran suspects you had quite a hard time finding asphodels – especially since you had them delivered last night after we spoke."

"It was necessary."

"Gran also translated them. I know you regret what happened. We need to think and talk about moving forward, OK?"

"Yes I agree."

"Let's move on. How was your meeting after we talked last night? Wait, can you tell me?"

"Of course I can. We are working on a plan to have two of the local vampires' pets infiltrate the Fellowship of the Sun to act as spies while the Sheriffs, Godric and I work at night following up on leads we find from their interactions."

"Is that safe for these humans?"

"We also have two Weres to go in with them, and the four of them are acting as two couples looking to join the church. The Weres should be able to provide protection. Everyone is willing min älskade. How is Gran's rehabilitation progressing?"

"I can see her getting stronger every day." He could see the smile on her face through the tone in her voice. "Stubborn woman still refuses Pam's blood to help her along."

"That's her choice Sookie, don't harp on her."

"I have gossip if you're interested."

"If you're talking, then I am interested. Is this Were tittle-tattle? They are a never ending source."

"Were and Daemon."

"Potts and. . ."

"Alcide. He broke up with Debbie; she's been cheating on him for a while."

"Are you just guessing?"

Sookie was smiling, she knew he really didn't care about the couple dating but he was being attentive to the conversation. "Well, I've gotten signals from them for about 2 weeks but then last week when Alcide told me he broke up with Debbie I nudged him on it. They are on friendly date tonight."

"What the hell is a 'friendly date'?"

"Well, Potts knows he just broke up with Debbie, even though the relationship has been dying a slow death for about 2 months. They just want to try and be friends outside work; work is us by the way. They asked me to go with them, just to get out."

"Why didn't you?"

"I don't know, Gran said something similar about going out dancing with Tara like we used to do all the time."

"Take extra guards but go."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I didn't know you liked that. We can go dancing together when I come back." Eric offered.

"I'd like that." Eric was thrilled, a spike of happiness barreled through the bond. "What made you so happy? Dancing?"

"No, that you were talking about seeing me when I come back." She smiled to herself as he said the words.

"Do you have any meetings tonight?"

"We are combing through the data we already have and prepping our spies."

"You're sure you can't use a telepath's help?"

"I don't want you anywhere near here."

"Not if it will bring you home sooner?"

"It's not safe here, we won't discuss this further."

"Ok, ok. I don't want to waste our one call fighting, let's move on."

"Certainly. Is it safe for me to call Pam? I've only been emailing or texting her about business since I left."

"Why wouldn't it be safe?"

"She announced to me that she's leaving me. Giving me her share of Fangtasia, telling me she was going to take care of herself from now on."

"SHE WHAT?!"

"She was pissed at what I did. I don't know if she's over it enough for me to risk calling her."

"But she's giving up your credit cards? Your bank accounts? . . . PAM?!"

"I told you she was pissed."

"I'll talk to her."

"That might help. I need to go; Godric is making the hurry up motions."

"Be safe, both of you."

"You be safe too. Send me pictures if you go dancing."

In Dallas Eric and Godric headed to the Dallas nest. "We should end early tonight so we will have time to talk. I know the separation is difficult."

"I have a plan for the nights we end early; you're welcome to join me."

"What has you smiling? What is this plan?"

"A surprise for when I return to Sookie."

"Tell me min son. You are very excited."

"Well. . . "

OOOoooOOOooo

Back in Shreveport, right after Sookie ended the call with Eric; there was a knock on the door. Sookie found Andre standing there with a grimace on his face. "Delivery for you Miss Stackhouse."

"Thank y. . ." He had turned and was at his car before she could finish saying thank you.

"Who was it Sookie?" Gran called.

"A very rude Andre. He had a delivery for me."

"Well open it."

"Oh my! It's an iPod." The red Valentine wrapping paper went flying as she excitedly ripped it off; then started checking out the playlists. One was called 'Sookie's favorites' and sure enough he'd pre-loaded dozens of her favorite songs. Another list was called 'Eric's favorites' and she scrolled through to see what he added. The final playlist started some tears. It was called 'Wishes' and as she scrolled through, she was sure every romantic song that had wish in the title or was otherwise about wishes was loaded. She laughed. He even included 'A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes' and 'When you Wish Upon a Star' from Disney movies. She connected the iPod to the external speakers, started the wish playlist and opened the letter.

_Min Alskade:_

_Thank you for giving me another chance. Enjoy your music and think of me when you listen._

_Happy Valentine's Day, _

_Eric_

OOOoooOOOooo

The next night, another delivery arrived via Andre and Sookie asked Eric about it. "Why did you send Runaway Jury?" Sookie was settled on her chaise in the Compton estate having another call with Eric.

"Last fall I asked you to go to the movies one night, and you said no. It was the night we toured my gardens reviewing your plans. I automatically thought your reason for not going to the movies was personal against me, of course now I know it probably had to do with your telepathy. I pouted off and you stopped me, and once you explained you were tired . . . well we even had dinner together. It was . . . you admitted that night you no longer saw me as the scary monster you met at my warehouse. Anyway, the movie I wanted to take you to that night was Runaway Jury."

"You . . . You remember that?"

"Of course, it was a pretty pivotal evening for us. Well the whole week was. When I called my video store and they said it was about to be released, I had Andre deliver you an early copy."

"I'll wait to watch it with you."

"Well, that will defeat that I got you an early copy."

"That's not what matters. The movie could suck, but why you bought it means everything to me."

Eric smiled. Thank Gods he was getting some of this right. He rose excited for their call each night and then deflated right after knowing a full day would pass until the next call. This was the third day and Sookie had started cheating by sending some texts in between calls. His heart leapt at each one – even if it was just a tidbit about the house or Gran. She felt the need to share and that's what mattered. She stopped his thoughts by changing the subject. "Eric. We need to talk about something."

_'Ugh, I hate this part of the calls_'. Sookie would have something important to discuss, and while they needed to do it, it didn't make it any less uncomfortable. "Yes min kära. What is the subject tonight?"

She took a breath and so did he to prepare. "Your legendary logic. Where was it? And more importantly, how can we deal with this. You can't throw logic out the window when I'm involved."

"I agree." This topic he could handle, he'd prepared with Godric. "I've spoken to Godric about this since I arrived in Dallas. Getting a handle on this is a must if for no other reason than our safety."

"Yes."

"As I've told you, the root of my decision was fear that you would leave me. I believe once we put that behind us, as you want to do with this time and these talks, it will be a huge relief."

"I can see that, but what else can we do? That you made such a rash decision is something that scares me; that's not you Eric."

"It scares me too. I can only hope to have learned from this. I'll continue to work with Godric as well. You may need to remind me."

"Totally prepared to do that." She laughed a bit and he joined her.

"I knew you would be fine with that." Hoping they were done with that topic he moved on. "How is Gran progressing?"

She answered and steered the discussion to the daily gossip. He was relieved that the hard part for tonight was over.

OOOoooOOOooo

A little over a week had passed since Eric and Sookie started talking again and Gran was getting stronger by the day. She wouldn't be able to live on her own anytime soon, but she was able to make it around the house with a walker and an assistant much more easily than when she first arrived home. Her progress made Sookie very happy, as did the daily gifts that arrived from Eric. She knew flowers were cliché, and he even admitted it, but a fresh bouquet arrived each day. Her Gran knew the meaning behind most flowers and translated for Sookie upon their arrival, though Eric had her looking up some meanings for a few varieties. One night, right after they talked Eric had a huge bouquet of white heather delivered, which left Gran stumped. When she turned to her flower book, ever present on the coffee table in the living room, Gran found they stood for wishes coming true. Sookie was blubbering and unable to explain the meaning to Gran until she calmed down. Sookie had known for the past two days that she had no plans to leave Eric. She did want to have a serious talk about children, however they could have them, but nothing he said would change her mind about Eric. If he wanted children, great; if he didn't then she would love him all the same. She simply wanted to know. Ensuring equality in the relationship was also something she felt needed to be discussed. No, she didn't expect to be equals in the vampire world, but at home? Unless it came to safety she wanted to be true partners – the high handed decision making had to stop. She hoped Eric had good news when they talked tonight, since she wanted him home so they could talk this all out in person and move forward. She'd had it with only having phone calls for these discussions and planned to finish their talks face to face.

Just when she was about to call Eric, she received a text instead.

E: We rested at the nest today, meeting starting before sunset so I can't talk.

E: Love you.

S: I understand.

S: Love you too.

The situation was the same the next night and Sookie deflated a bit. When Pam rose, she noticed a difference right away. "What did he do?"

"Nothing Pam, they are just staying at the nest now and the meetings start almost as soon as the oldest vampires rise so we don't have time to talk tonight, same as last night."

"Get dressed; I'm calling Tara and Potts. You're going dancing." She put her head out the back door. "Thalia! Do you have anything you can wear dancing."

"I don't dance Pam."

"You do tonight. Sookie needs to go out."

"I will guard, you can dance."

"Let me call a few Weres for backup."

"No need." Potts said as she ran into the kitchen. "Alcide and I were heading out; I just called him to tell him it's dancing now. Where are we going?"

Pam got a wicked look in her eyes. "A new bar in Ruston called Rumors, it's ladies night."

"A strip club? PAM! That's not the place for me."

"Suck it up Crumbcake, I have the perfect dress."

"I don't wear your size."

"I bought one that's big in the bust, it'll fit fine." Then she mumbled. "As long as you don't bend over."

About an hour later, they had piled into Eric's SUV with Sookie fidgeting in her too short dress. "Muffin, sit still and smooth that skirt out; you'll get all wrinkly otherwise."

"Skirt? Someone actually called this a skirt? It's a wide belt; they only sold you half a dress."

"Lucky for you you had a clean thong."

Potts and Alcide chuckled at the conversation. "PAM! Alcide is sitting back here with us; he does not need to know that level of detail!"

"Just think about dancing, you'll forget all about your dress."

"I better not; one wrong move and I'll be the entertainment for the night!"

Pam whispered and everyone but Tara could hear. "One could only hope."

Once Sookie heard the beat from the parking lot, her aggravation at Pam ended. She put up her shields, grabbed Tara and pulled her into the club, paying the cover for her group of 'guards'. The music called Sookie to the dance floor before she even found a table and she didn't stop for another 5 songs when Tara begged her for a break. After they were seated and had finished their first drinks, they were approached by a gorgeous man with short blond hair and a set of shoulders that made Eric look whimpy. He introduced himself as Darren. Tara stared for a few minutes before blurting out "You dance here, I've seen you."

"Yes, I am one of the dancers. I'm also the owner. "I came to see if this charming creature." He nodded towards Sookie. "Would dance with me?"

The waitress approached the group and Darren announced the group's drinks for the night were on the house. Alcide and Potts shared a look. This wasn't a good thing; Darren was standing too close to Sookie and there were other vampires in the club; vampires that would recognize Sookie as Eric's. Before they could say anything, Sookie stepped away from the group with Darren.

They danced the end of a fast dance and when the music slowed, Sookie tried to leave the dance floor but Darren held her back. She moved his hand from her rear back up to her waist before shooting a glance at Alcide and mouthing 'help'. Alcide had also had enough of Darren so he told Pam to pull the car up to the entrance with Tara while he and Potts went to retrieve Sookie. Thalia kept watch in case she was needed. The retrieval of Sookie caused a bit of a skirmish on the dance floor but Alcide prevailed when some of his fellow packmates stepped into help. He had to carry and upset Sookie out of the club and directly into the car. "Guys, I'm sorry. We can go to another place if you want. That guy was just too handsy and I couldn't get him to stop."

"Sookie, why don't we just grab a late snack?" Pam suggested. "We can talk more when we get home."

Sookie didn't like the sound of that since Pam seemed pretty upset. Thinking over the time in the club, she tried to pinpoint what made Pam upset and it dawned on her. "Shit, I had my shields up and didn't check. There were Area 5 vampires in that club weren't there? I shouldn't have danced with another man."

"No Sookie, you really shouldn't have. We'll need to get ahead of this with Eric so he's aware."

"But I really didn't do anything."

"Remember we talked about appearances, all those months ago?"

"Yeah." She put her head in her hands. "Just go home so we can figure out who should contact Eric and tell him."

"Yes, it might be better coming from me. We'll discuss it like you suggest."

OOOoooOOOooo

In Dallas, the meeting with the spies had just concluded so they could retire. The volunteer spies needed to keep close to regular human hours while they were spending time almost every day with Fellowship members. Before the follow-up session started, Eric quickly checked his phone and he was surprised to find an email from Malcolm, one of his Area 5 vampires. The email delivered a video that infuriated him. Sookie was dancing with a human man at a local club. He threw his phone against the wall and was about to storm out when Godric caught up to him to understand the problem. "Sookie's out with another man."

"Are you sure that is what is really going on?" He guided him out the side door into the yard next to the garage.

"There was video. His hands were on her ass while they danced."

"Min son, keep your head. We still have a meeting to conclude and our plan for tomorrow requires your focus."

"I can't lose her now. I'll rip apart every member of the Fellowship since I'm required to be here instead of with her."

"You told her to go dancing."

"With Tara, her girlfriend!"

"Eric, we must return to the meeting. Get it together. Your part in the next few days is very important."

Eric moved to go to the door but his mind was clearly elsewhere.

Hugo, one of the pets being used as a spy with the Fellowship had been in the garage listening to the whole conversation. He smiled: A distracted Eric would be good for their plans.

The Texas vampires continued their meeting until breaking up a few hours before dawn so they could research the members of the Fellowship they'd been 'assigned'. Each vampire was linked to one of the key members of the Fellowship, the names and their Fellowship roles having been supplied by their spies. The donors made their way into the room after the meeting concluded, but Godric and Eric waved them off. Eric had taken from donor earlier in the evening, mostly for appearances, but he didn't want to partake from another human anymore than was necessary; he missed Sookie. Thinking of Sookie caused the earlier pain to return. He was shocked that she would be with another man especially after having proclaimed that she could never be with a human at all. Now he had no phone until a new one arrived tomorrow night via Hugo. At least Isobel's human was good for something. As far as Eric was concerned he hadn't proven himself worthy as a spy. The other members of the team were able to gather significantly more information than Hugo. "Godric, I need to call Pam and understand what happened, Sookie is likely asleep already and I'm too distracted to wait until tomorrow."

"Yes you are. Might I suggest you also find your way to trusting Sookie? You have video out of context sent to you by an underling who doesn't really respect you."

"I know what I saw." Godric shook his head at his son's stubbornness while he handed him the phone.

Pam answered on the first ring. "Master, we have been trying to reach you for hours."

"EXPLAIN, NOW!"

"Calm yourself, it isn't. . ."

"I saw video Pam; she was out with another man wearing the equivalent of a sash for a skirt." In the background he could hear Sookie curse and call him a jerk. "She's awake? I WANT TO SPEAK TO HER NOW!"

"Not as angry as you are. It's not what you think and now you've got her mad because you jumped to conclusions."

"How can it not be what I think? He had his hands on her practically bare ass IN PUBLIC!"

"Calm down. The dress was mine, she wasn't comfortable but I pushed her and she was never exposed. Eric, you'd know the story if you took the time to read my texts. Why didn't you call me back or read my texts?"

"My phone broke."

"Hmm, after you saw the video I guess. Who sent you the video?"

"Malcolm."

"You didn't suspect the video given the source? Did he send you the part where she tried to get away from him and she needed to motion for Alcide to help? Did he show the part where Alcide needed to grab two other Weres from his pack to subdue him without hurting Sookie and she was so upset he needed to carry her to the car? Did you see all of that MASTER?!"

He did it again, he overreacted. Gods, he lost all rational thought when it came to Sookie. "No, I didn't see any of that."

"And before you start in on her about dancing with a man in the first place, she realizes the mistake she made. To her, she was in a human establishment, she didn't register the vampires in the bar because she was so excited to be out and she had her shields up. He asked her to dance and she went off with him for a fast dance. When the music changed to a slow song, he kept her on the dance floor even though she resisted. That's when he got grabby. She looked to Alcide for help immediately. Are you ready to apologize yet? Though I warn you, she's hopping mad."

His tone was significantly softer now. "Put her on, please."

'_Please huh, he knows he was wrong. I like having Sookie around. Hope she forgives him quickly though. Given her mood, that's not likely_.' She handed the phone to Sookie. "He wants to talk to you."

"Eric." She spoke coolly into the phone.

"Min kära. . ."

"Don't you dear me. You believed a video and got yourself worked up before you even spoke to me? By the way, Pam has been trying you all night to inform you. So you've got some nerve starting out pissed on a call when you have no fucking idea what really happened. This is a trust issue Eric. You're in Dallas with donors. . ." He tried to interrupt but she ignored him. "and we've discussed this, I know you need to feed, but I trust that it's not more. You could show me the same courtesy and ASK first before you blow up on Pam then demand to speak to me."

He was quiet for a few minutes before he said. 'I'm sorry."

"I know you are, but I'm tired and mad that you reacted first without thinking we'd been trying to get to you for HOURS. I'm going to bed. I stayed up to talk to you so I could be sure you were not mad, but I can see that was a wasted effort. Don't call me tonight, I need to cool off." With that, she handed the phone to Pam.

"Sookie."

"It's Pam, she went to her bedroom." She sighed at hearing her master being so upset. "Just give it some time. She spent all day with her Gran then she really did stay awake all night after the incident to try and reach you. She got herself worked up pretty good about the possibility of you being so mad that you weren't answering our calls. By the time she heard your voice, I was sure she was going to rattle apart. I'll talk to her tomorrow night if you want when I rise and update you."

"I won't be available tomorrow; you can try to text me. Isobel's human is getting me a replacement phone."

"So you're taking action, is that why you aren't available?"

"We've really already started."

"Can you talk about it?"

Pleased that Pam was actually talking to him, he decided to let go of the dance discussion and respond to her question since he'd missed his connection to Pam. "For a few minutes. You know we have four spies?"

"Yes, but I don't know what you've been doing with the information, or even what information you're gathering."

"Were planning to discredit the organization. The spies have been gathering information on the names of the leaders. Once we have the names, we research them; gathering addresses, bank information, car make, model and license plates. The plan is to plant V in their cars, have them caught with prostitutes, boost their bank accounts from nefarious sources. All of it leading up to a government raid on the Fellowship since we have learned they have vampire weapons and they are planning genocide of the vampire race. The raid will be easy to swing since we have Weres in the FBI. Once we lay the foundation with the arrests of the leaders, they can justify the full raid of the Fellowship. Tomorrow night, we're setting up the first known leader by planting V in his car then calling in a tip."

"Wow. I figured you guys were just going to charge in and kill them all."

"How would that help? Another group would just take their place and then they would have a massacre to use as evidence of our evil."

"And you got Weres to help willingly?"

"They're planning their own reveal. The Fellowship will be a thorn in their side all too soon."

"Makes sense."

"Godric and I still have work to do before dawn so I must go. The good news is I may be home within a week."

"That's something."

"I just hope there's something to come home to."

"Eric, you'll need to work through this. For now, just give her space; you focus on your mission. I'll help Sookie here."

OOOoooOOOooo

The next day, Sookie woke early to help with Gran and as a result, spent the day stewing while in her completely grumpy mood. The household gave her a wide berth as she progressed through the day. Honestly, she knew she was tired and should take a nap knowing things would look better if she wasn't dead on her feet, but she just felt like wallowing. Waiting for Eric to call all last night had literally made her sick with worry and then he justified all the worry by flying off the handle. Did she make a mistake by accepting the dance invitation? Given her role in Eric's life; yes, but he should have talked to her about it first before starting the call angry. This reaction was another thing to add to their list when he returned. For now, she was just too pissed off to think more about it.

She decided to attack the front garden bed while Gran napped after lunch. Potts observed from a distance as Sookie worked through her anger. The past few weeks had been very trying for her young friend. She could understand Eric's upset at the incident with Darren, but he still should have given Pam or Sookie a chance to explain what happened. Of course they would get passed this, but the timing couldn't be worse since they didn't have the ability to talk through the issue. She almost felt sorry for the weeds Sookie was using as her relief from ire. After watching her complete one bed, she decided to step in. "Sookie, you really should nap."

"Potts, you are not my mother."

"No, I'm your friend."

"I appreciate that, but I want to finish this bed before Gran wakes. I'm hoping I can get her to walk this far to check it out. She's been doing so well."

Seeing Sookie's reasons for staying outside had her backing down. '_I'll just get Pam to work on Sookie napping or sleeping early_.' She patted Sookie's shoulder. "I understand. Would you like help finishing so it's done when she wakes?"

"That'd be great, but isn't it your day to cook supper?"

"It is, but we're having chicken pot pie and the casserole is ready to go in the oven already."

"Must be nice to not need that much sleep."

"It comes in handy."

As she planned, Potts pulled Pam aside after dinner and talked to her about getting Sookie to sleep. Having been there when Sookie didn't sleep at all the night before, she readily agreed. Knowing that Sookie would be cared for, Potts went off to her night class. Pam found Sookie in with Gran, helping her settle in for the night. She joined her, getting Gran out of her robe and adjusting pillows as she knew she liked. "Pam, do the vampires of Area 5 know you take such good care of your adoptive Gran?"

"They better not. I have a reputation you know!"

Gran just chuckled as the girls finished their tasks and kissed her goodnight. She held Pam's hand when she leaned over and asked her to stay for a minute. They watched as Sookie left and following Gran's hand motions, Pam turned on the dehumidifier to cover their conversation. "Can you glamour her into a better mood?" Gran asked.

"Lord Gran, I would if I could. She just needs sleep and she needs him to get back. I'm going to work on the sleep part right after I leave you. As for Eric, he hopes to be home within a week."

"That'll be good. I appreciate that you've stayed here. I know it's a pain traveling between Shreveport and Bon Temps."

"It's been a pleasure Gran. Now, I'm off to get your grandbaby into bed."

"I wish it was Eric saying that, she needs it."

"GRAN! You're so bad!" She chuckled as Pam left the room.

The house was quiet so Pam went in search of Sookie outside. Bubba saw Pam searching and pointed to the side yard. "Weeding at night?"

"I've got some nervous energy to expend."

Pam just shook her head and sat at the end of the chaise. "Sookie. Can I convince you to go to bed early? I really think you need to shut down."

"If I lay in bed I'm going to think about it."

"What are you going to think about? Are you really THAT mad at him? Not that he didn't deserve what you told him but you're still that mad?"

"Pam, I'm fed up with Dallas and all this time to reflect." That worried Pam. "I have things I want to discuss with him, and NOT ON THE PHONE or TEXT. I want to move forward and I guess last night did upset me because I was so worried about his reaction and then he went and reacted just as I feared. I know I need sleep, but I don't want to think about it."

"Come on." Pam stood and put her hand out for Sookie. When Sookie stayed still, Pam repeated her request. "Sookie, come on. You're going to get yourself sick if you don't sleep. You'll see things better after."

"I just told you I don't think I can sleep."

Pam leaned down and pulled Sookie to standing and started toward the door. "You're going to take a long shower, dress in comfy PJs and I'm going to tuck you in and sit with you until you fall asleep. I'll rub your back." Sookie looked at her sideways. "Not like that. I'm not making a pass at you; I'm just trying to help you relax." Sookie nodded and headed into the house for her shower. Just as she promised, Pam tucked Sookie in and rubbed her back until she fell asleep. Since she'd already called Chow, their new bartender to tell him to watch the bar; she was able to stay with Sookie and work on some of the Area 5 reports. It was nearing midnight when she got a feeling of panic from the bond she had with Eric; at the same time Sookie sat up from her sleep and screamed his name.


	36. Savior

**Hope you like Dallas – BVB style.**

**Enjoy and please review. Even though we don't have a cliffy – I've updated the teaser page.**

**~mags**

Chapter 35 - Savior

February 22, 2004

Eric had met with Hugo to review the latest information he had on 'Eric's' Fellowship member. His target was Teddy Banner, married for 5 years with 2 children. Per Hugo, Banner would be working late tonight and his car would be parked in a nearly empty lot, giving Eric the opportunity to plant V and then hide until he saw Banner exit so he could call in a tip about Teddy looking like a drunk driver. A set of Were police officers would be patrolling near Banner's office so he could be first on the scene to substantiate the erratic behavior justifying the car search.

It seemed straightforward: plant the V, hide, call 911 and watch the first Fellowship member go down for V. It was going well. He had just picked the car lock when a silver net was thrown over him and he went down, powerless against the three men that were now dragging him towards a van. His first thoughts were of Hugo. It was planned, he wasn't found by surprise, but it didn't matter now, he was at their mercy. The van drove for about 15 minutes and he was yanked out, dragged again into a warehouse type building and then tossed into a cell. There he was introduced to Gabe. Gabe was Godric's Fellowship member but that's all Eric knew about him. He learned more as Gabe made his best attempts to hurt Eric and get him to talk about other vampires and their plans. Gabe was failing.

OOOoooOOOooo

"We have to go Pam! Call Godric."

"Eric will kill me if I take you to Dallas."

"Then I'll go on my own."

"How are you going to do that with all these guards?"

"They guard me to keep me safe, not imprisoned here. I'm free."

Pam sighed. Truth be told, SHE wanted to go to Dallas after she felt the panic in the bond. She acquiesced and called her Grandsire. "Pamela, I guess you and Sookie felt the panic?"

"We did. Sookie wants to join you in the search and rescue. She believes she can help."

"It's too dangerous."

"She plans to go without me if I don't take her." Godric started to balk and Pam added. "She's no longer a prisoner, remember? A guard will follow-her, but they aren't under orders to stop her anymore."

"Pack, both of you – and Potts. I'll call you with the plane information."

Pam turned to Sookie to tell her to pack, but she was already grabbing a suitcase. "Sookie?"

"I'm packing. Come on; get your ass in gear!"

They landed with only three hours before dawn and Godric met the plane. Sookie ran to him and he greeted her in an embrace. "I want to go to the nest and meet the spies. Eric had a bad feeling about one."

"Yes, he mentioned that to me, but with him being the pet of my second we couldn't accuse him since she vouched for him."

"I want to read him. Does he know anything about me?"

"No."

"Good, we need the surprise. Do the other vampires in your meetings know that something has happened to Eric?"

"Yes, the plan that was in place last night fell apart, so they would have known even if I didn't feel what happened through the bond."

They had started driving to the nest and Sookie asked both Pam and Godric about what she felt. "He shut the bond down, but you guys can both feel the hum, right?"

"You're asking if he is still with us?" She nodded. "He is, though I don't feel the hum like you do, more that I never felt him leave."

"Huh, I guess it's different based on the type of bond."

Pam complained. "I wish he would open it so I can locate him."

"Why would he keep it closed?" Pam and Godric exchanged looks and Sookie realized why he kept it closed. "It's for us isn't it? They're torturing him."

"Most likely." He steered the car into a driveway. "Here we are." Before they all got out, he turned to Sookie and Pam, both in the backseat. "Sookie, Pam will act as your master in the nest. Are you ready for that?"

"Yes."

"Cara, you are with me." She nodded, aware of the protocol. "Sookie, you have a unique talent, so that will give you credibility, but they won't know that until I explain, so please act as subservient until we establish your role."

"Understood."

They entered the nest, Godric and Cara first followed by Pam and Sookie. Pam held Sookie's hand, Dallas nest be damned. She could feel her trembling and knew she needed that extra support. Isobel immediately attacked the group. "GODRIC! What is the meaning of bringing a new human to this situation? She could be a plant!"

"Isobel, you would do well to remember that you are MY SECOND and answer to me. You don't make demands of me."

Bowing her head, she asked for forgiveness, but proceeded to express concern. "I meant no disrespect, but surely you can see the security risk?"

"That would be the case if she was not able to help with the situation."

"HELP? A human?"

"Your human has been helping us." She huffed and backed down while Godric continued. "I would like to introduce Pamela Ravenscroft, she is my grandchild, and Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie is Eric's bonded human. Most of you probably recall Cara, my former dayguard."

"BONDED! Eric?" A cowboy looking vampire shouted from the hallway as he entered the room.

"Yes your highness, bonded. Sookie, this is Stan Davis, recently named the vampire King of Texas."

She curtsied politely. "Your highness."

"Miss Stackhouse. Godric believes you can help?"

"I can."

"Well, before you and Ms. Ravenscroft arrived, we already discussed Godric's bond with Eric and he informed us that it was shut down. So you won't be able to locate him even with your bond. I'm not quite sure how you can help."

She looked to Godric and she looked a little panicked. "Godric, could you show me to a restroom before we begin please?" His eyebrows rose and he realized she probably needed to say something to him privately.

"Certainly." He took her down the hall while Isobel rolled her eyes. When they reached a door, she grabbed her phone from her purse and asked him to wait outside the door as she pointed to her phone. Once inside the bathroom, she texted him

S: There's a listening device in the room, we have a spy with us right now

G: Who and Where

S: You can't look when I tell you the who or the where – don't give it away or we'll lose him.

G: Understood

S: Hugo and under the coffee table in the living room, but there are other bugs in the house. He wasn't thinking about all the details so I can't tell you the other locations

G: Stay in there, I need to explain to Stan.

S: Outside or in a car or something, please

G: Yes

Sookie waited for almost 10 minutes in the bathroom for Godric to return. When he did, he knocked on the door and told her to come out. Stan was waiting for her as well as Godric. Stan spoke first. "Miss Stackhouse, can I interest you in a short drive?"

She looked to Godric and he nodded. "Yes your highness."

They left the building and got into a van, a plain family type van. She was placed in the middle row with Pam; Potts, Hugo and Isobel were in the back. Stan explained the circumstances. "Sorry everyone for the sudden move, we just got word that that nest has been compromised and we must move before dawn. I'm heading to one of our safe houses now."

Just as Stan backed the car out, Hugo spoke. "Your highness, I don't need the protection of a safehouse for the day, I will be fine if you let me out."

Stan got an evil smile. "Nonsense Hugo. I would never have Isobel's pet compromised. I've already ordered food for the new location; you will be fine for the day. Very secure in fact."

They arrived at a nondescript ranch home in a different suburb of Dallas. There was now only an hour and a half of daylight left. Once they entered the home, Hugo was apprehended by two vampires, much to Isobel's protest. "Isobel." Godric started. "Stand down."

"He is under my protection."

"He." Godric sneered, "Is a fellowship spy, responsible for my Eric's capture and the listening devices in the main nest!"

"He is not!"

Godric ignored his second's protests and ordered Hugo to be secured. "Sookie, we need to interview him now."

"Of course Godric, lead the way."

Sookie watched as Hugo was secured to a chair in the basement or rather dungeon. Luckily it was otherwise empty. When Godric placed a seat in front of him she took her place and started asking questions. "Hugo, are you the only vampire pet that is also a spy for the Fellowship?"

Hugo answered no but thought two other names and Sookie reported them. Stan's eyes grew wide. One was his lieutenant's pet and she also knew of their nest.

"Hugo, did you help the Fellowship capture Eric?"

Again he answered no, but Sookie saw and heard him meeting with Steve Newlin and planning the capture. She relayed the information from his head to the others in the room. "WHAT ARE YOU?" Hugo yelled to Sookie.

She ignored him and continued. "Hugo, where are they holding Eric?"

"I'm not answering you BITCH!"

Stan stepped forward and grabbed Hugo by the hair. "You will show some respect to this worthy human or you will suffer torture at my hands in addition to Godric's and Eric's."

"Thank you your highness. With all due respect, you actually need to let him go because all he can think of now is the pain and I can't read him like that. My apologies if I'm being too forward."

"Not at all Miss Stackhouse. You can feel free to call me Stan."

"Thank you Stan, please call me Sookie." Pam was bursting with pride over Sookie. For all the whining and yelling she did about vampire protocol, she sure could put on a show. The fact that a king just told her to call him by his first name was also quite shocking. She watched Sookie turn to Hugo with her cold eyes, full of anger. "Let's try that again. Where is Eric?"

"I don't know."

Sookie probed and when she didn't get anything right away, she stood to move her seat forward and place her hand on his arm. She finally got a vision. "He doesn't actually know the location as he was blindfolded when heading to meetings. It's a warehouse of sorts; I'm looking for more details." It took her several minutes but she found all she could. "The warehouse is large, with a doorway that could fit maybe 3 of those large containers, like the ones they use for shipping. He's only seen the inside, so I don't know how much help it is."

"Sookie." Stan asked. "Is there any equipment? Anything written on boxes that you can see?"

She opened her eyes and shook her head. "He just didn't get to see that much himself. We have to find a way to get me to some of the leaders directly, someone who would know the location." Her head whipped back to Hugo. "Gabe, Leon and Steve. Ok – thanks Hugo." She turned back to Stan. "Those are the three that know the location. Oh and he needs to call a Polly everyday to check in or they will believe he's been discovered as a spy. You might want to get a Were to stay with him to make that call or glamour him, something like that."

Isobel had had enough. "How do you know she's not making this up? SHE could be the spy."

Godric wrapped his hand around her throat and pinned her to the wall. "She is Eric's bonded and she has worked for the Queen of Louisiana as her telepath. Stan already contacted Sophie-Anne for verification and she requested that Sookie aide in the search for Eric. Would you like to make your claim that she is a spy again?" With her limited mobility he could barely see her shake her head no in response, but he released her. "Sookie, it's much too dangerous for you to go into the Fellowship."

"I agree Sookie." Pam chimed in.

"We have what, maybe an hour until sunrise?" They nodded. "Then make a plan that you guys can live with, because I AM going in today and I WILL read one of those three to find Eric."

"Not if I chain you to my side Crumbcake."

"I'll burn your entire shoe collection when we return to Shreveport if you do that."

Pam didn't even flinch. "Sookie, seriously, you could be hurt and none of us would be able to assist you. You can burn all my clothes if you want."

"I can make a plan to go in later this afternoon, so there would only be a short time until the sunset." Suddenly, Godric Pam and Sookie gasped. "Eric" they spoke in unison.

Stan observed them and realized. "He opened the bond?"

Godric smiled. "Yes, but we don't have enough time to. . ."

Sookie interrupted him. "Can you get Potts and me some Were guards? If so I will go after him." When Stan and Godric said nothing, she persisted. "I only have a short window before he goes to rest, right? Get me some goddamn Weres to help."

Stan nodded and led Sookie and Potts upstairs. "Felix, you will accompany these ladies today. They are going in search of the captured vampire's location. Do not attempt to rescue him during the day unless there is no other choice. Just find him if possible and call in backup to secure the location. Give Miss Stackhouse the phone numbers of our two Were spies so she can speak with them today. They were due to attend some event at the church tonight, so they might be able to help from the inside."

"Understood." He gestured with his hand. "Ladies." As they left the house, Sookie was relieved to hear Stan order another Were guard to handle Hugo's call into Polly. '_Good,_ _That loop is closed, I don't want the fellowship panicking about Hugo while they have Eric. They may just decide to kill him if they get scared_.'

They had driven for almost an hour using Sookie as a navigator. They were in a pretty bad part of Dallas now as Felix explained and Sookie insisted they continue, she could feel him and it was getting closer. She flooded the bond with love and for the first time since he turned the bond on, he returned it with some caution. They were stopped for a freight train now and it was a long one. Sookie turned to Potts. "Potts, we've been still for about 5 minutes now?"

"Yes."

"I think they are moving him. He feels like he's moving even though we are still. SHIT."

"Yes that's a problem."

"That's not the shit though – he just went rest, it's just too long after sunrise for him to stay awake. I can always feel the hum, but I don't think it's strong enough to find him." Potts braced herself because she knew what was next. "I want to go to the Fellowship." Yep, that's exactly what she expected.

"Sookie. . ."

"Don't even try to talk me out of it."

"I wasn't. I know I can't. Can we call the other Were spies and strategize though?"

"Sure. Let's agree to meet somewhere. Felix any ideas?"

OOOoooOOOooo

A while later, they met up with the two Were spies in a local diner, but they chose to meet in the privacy of the SUV. Felix made the introductions. "Sookie this is Aiden and Liz; Potts, I believe you know them?" Potts nodded and Sookie and the Weres exchanged quick greetings. Felix started the conversation. "Aiden, Sookie is looking to get into the Fellowship today so she can discover information about the location of her bonded, Eric Northman."

"How can you get information?"

Potts ended that line of questioning. "Just get us in, and we'll handle the rest."

Liz chimed in. "I don't know how we can get you both in; one of you will be hard enough. The event tonight is a lock-in, we are going and once you're in, you're stuck. I can't just bring in TWO extra people. Sookie can go in a as a friend who asked me to introduce her. We'll have to go with that."

"What do I need?" Sookie asked, not wanting to waste any time.

"Small pack of clothes and overnight stuff, maybe a pillow to sell the story that you're staying. That should be it. We'll need to get our story straight too."

"Where can I get that stuff, should we head out and get our story going while I shop?"

"That'll work."

"SOOKIE!" Potts interrupted her planning. "You can't go in without me."

"Aiden and Liz are Weres, they're plenty strong."

"But they are not assigned to protect you. I can't allow it."

"Potts, you can stay in the area, but I'm going in."

"I want some kind of open line on you." She turned to Felix. "Can someone get that set-up?"

"I can. I'll do that while you get the basic shopping done. Let's meet here in one hour."

"Got it."

When they reconvened, Sookie had her bag packed and Felix had some additions for her. "Sookie, I have a few weapons for you." He reached into his bag and showed her a round brush that pulled apart to reveal a dagger concealed within the barrel of the brush. Sookie smiled at the clever idea. "The second is also concealed, but a much smaller blade." The second item was a lipstick case but the lipstick was a blade. The final item was a pen that pulled apart to become a longer blade than the lipstick, but thinner. "This last one will be easy for you to keep with you. The others could be harder to explain why you have it with you all the time." He pointed to Sookie's wrist. "I also have your listening device. Can I have your wrist please?" He placed a bracelet on her wrist and gave Potts the receiver that would work if she parked on the street outside the church.

"Alright Sookie, you're as ready as you'll ever be. Felix and I will park on the street first; you three will be 5 minutes behind me. You have your story straight?" They all nodded.

"We also planned a sign for them to get out if I hear anything that could indicate they need to leave, you know as a backup to get you information about the situation. Just in case the bracelet doesn't work."

"SOOKIE! If you're in danger, they should stay with you!"

"There is no way I can be sure the listening device will work once I'm in the building, we need the backup plan."

"I don't like it but I know you're too stubborn to talk out of it. Just keep talking to keep me informed. I'll get in touch with Godric when he rises. I spoke with Felix and our goal is for you to confirm Eric's location and we'll go in with the FBI; he's got the contacts and we'll make it happen quickly. In other words, no heroics Sookie."

"If he's in imminent danger, I make no promises."

Shaking her head at Sookie, she replied. "Call to me if you need me, I'll get to you."

"I know Potts. Let's go. It's almost 3 in the afternoon." Sookie started working her engagement ring off her finger and handed it to Potts. "For safekeeping." Potts simply nodded.

OOOoooOOOooo

Aiden and Liz escorted Sookie right into the offices at the Fellowship church. Since they had signed up to be volunteers, they had access to the back offices. Sookie could hear a sudden rise in the chatter. Sarah Newlin had just arrived and was talking about the lock-in. "We're closing the doors soon ladies, then folks can only come in to join us, but nobody gets out. Steve has a huge surprise ready for the event." She had crossed the office area to Sookie as she spoke. "You're new." She put out her hand. "Welcome to the Fellowship of the Sun. What's your name?"

Liz cut in to handle the introductions. "This is my friend Susie Ross she's here to join our group. Susie, this is. . ."

"Sarah Newlin, I know who she is." She gazed at Sarah. "I'm so thrilled to meet ya. I feel like I should have my autograph book, this is just so excitin'."

"Well aren't you just the cutest thing. I'll have to get Steve to meet ya so you can get the whole experience." Sookie gasped and put her hands to her mouth. "Oh Sweetie, I didn't think you'd get that excited to meet him. Come on, I'll take you all to his office."

Wanting to capture as many thoughts as possible, Sookie reached out as far as she could trying to hear any words about vampires or Eric's name specificaly. So far, nothing since everyone just seemed so excited at Reverend Newlin's surprise for the lock-in. They walked down the hallway in the office area and came to the Reverend's door. Sarah knocked, but walked right in. "Honey, I want to introduce you to our newest recruit Susie Ross."

Sookie stepped out from behind Sarah to meet Steve and the other gentleman in the office. As soon as she was visible to Steve, she heard everything he was thinking about her. '_She's the whore in the pictures with the vampire we have in the basement. Does she think she can fool us? Does she think she can save her bloodsucker? I'll get Gabe to lock her in the basement with her fanger; then she can fry with him in the sun tomorrow morning_.' Sookie was never so grateful to have learned control over her facial expression as she was now. The information in his head would be enough for the FBI raid, now she needed to get his thoughts spoken to be heard on her listening device. "Well Miss Ross, we're so happy to have another join our fold. You will stay for the lock-in?"

"Certainly Reverend." She turned to Aiden and Liz and gave them the signal, brushing her hand from her shoulder to the wrist, to indicate that they needed to get out.

"Gabe, I think we should take Susie on a tour of the facility."

"Reverend, that does sound lovely, but I do have a lot of preparation for our surprise tomorrow."

Steve insisted. "Gabe, I KNOW you have just a few minutes for our newest member. Come along."

"Susie, shall we?"

She nodded, but added. "My friends have some work in the office to finish up for the lock-in, so they can't join us."

Steve spent a moment wondering what to do about the spies with Sookie/Susie. In the end he realized he wanted Sookie more than the other spies so he went along with the ruse. Sookie heard his thoughts and was relieved to get the others to safety. They would also confirm that Eric was there based on Sookie's signal. "Of course, the lock-in is a priority so they should finish that work. Now let's. . ."

Sarah interrupted. "Steve, what are you doing? You don't give tours to the new recruits, especially with the lock-in starting shortly."

"Sarah, why don't you join us?" She looked quite perplexed but she knew the sharp tone in his voice meant there was no arguing.

"Fine. Susie, let's go on a tour."

They walked through the offices quickly but spent time in the nave where Steve droned on about his beautiful pulpit where he could preach the word of God. When they started down another hallway, Sarah objected again. "Steve, there is nothing but the door to the basement here. What could you possibly want to show her here?"

Sookie cringed to herself when she read Steve's mind. She was going to be locked in the basement. Steve smiled an almost evil smile when he turned around. "Oh I think she'll like what she sees in the basement. Won't you Sookie?"

"Sookie? Honey her name is Susie."

"No it's not. That vampire downstairs is hers. Isn't he Sookie?" She heard Gabe take in a breath at that information.

Time to get the information over to Potts via the listening device. Without hesitation, she switched gears and changed into 'Sookie.' "What are your plans for him?"

"Oh my dear, you'll enjoy the plans. You have just added greatly to our surprise. You see, I had planned to fry your fang lover on a cross in the sun tomorrow morning and share it with the world by posting it on YouTube. Now I can fry a vampire and his whore at the same time. Lucky for me we had your Mr. Northman's name and when we simply googled him, several pictures of you and your vampire appeared. Seems you like the symphony and the ballet Miss Stackhouse. I guess since your vampire helped you escape from your captors in the fall, you felt the need to return the favor. You'll be so happy to see all our weapons down there Sookie. You see, this is just the beginning. We're planning a vampire cleansing. You know, ridding the earth of the foul unclean creatures. The video is pure marketing genius to gain followers for our war." He turned to Gabe after he opened the door. "Gabe, chain Miss Stackhouse to the wall downstairs, after she's been thoroughly questioned of course."

With that, Gabe pulled Sookie to him at the top of the stairs and pushed her. She hit a few stairs on the way to the bottom. '_Damn it hurts to get thrown down the stairs. I really hoped that Potts got what she needed because I want to get out of here with Eric NOW._' After she gathered her wits at the bottom of the stairs she tried to stand. That hurt, first her wrist when she tried to push herself up, then her knee when she stood. Gabe had ventured down the stairs and was now pushing her towards the back.

"Your vampire has been very resistant to answering questions. He has quite a high tolerance for pain. Perhaps I can get more information from him if I torture you in front of him. I think that's what I'll try when he wakes. Now, what can we do while we wait for the sun to set?" He reached out and grabbed a breast.

"You can go to hell you pervert. Take your hands off of me." Sookie was backhanded and fell to the floor on her stomach.

"I don't think so whore. You will spread your legs for me just like you spread them when you fuck the dead."

Her purse was now resting under her and she remembered her brush. Frantic to get to her weapon, she struggled with the zipper but eventually grabbed and separated the brush. When he bent down to flip her, she struck. The blade of the dagger was shoved into his knee bringing him down and when he landed on his stomach, she plunged the knife into his back. Feeling Sookie's panic and anger had roused Eric from his rest but the blood loss from Gabe's interview techniques and the silver chains around his body made him too weak to help. Turns out, Sookie didn't need the assistance. The blade from her 'brush' dagger wasn't big, but she stabbed him enough that he lost consciousness. Having seen too many movies where the victim left an untied attacker only to have him 'wake up' and attack again, she knew she needed to restrain him. She hobbled around the basement and found some rope and chain to secure him to a large shelving unit. That should give her time.

Now she could focus on Eric. She knew he was there, had even felt him wake but she needed to focus on securing the pervert first. Sookie found Eric in an open cell. '_Gabe was cocky, thinking he didn't even need to lock the cell door, but all the better for me_.' When she looked at him, her heart ached. Blood covered his exposed torso, arms and feet. She could see the blood was from many still opened wounds and she realized he'd been drained of a great deal of blood. That plus the silver wound around him had prevented him from healing. Her tears started before he looked up to see her face.

"Sookie." It was weak and all he said when she appeared in front of him, but his heart soared at seeing her again. A bruise was forming on her face from the slap he'd heard her receive; she was cradling one arm and limping. Upon further inspection, he noticed her clothes were torn and she had dirt smudged on her face. At that moment, he'd never seen anything more beautiful in his life. Bloody tears joined hers on his chest as she fell to the floor in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He could do nothing since he was still bound in silver. "Sookie, the silver. Hurry before someone comes looking for Gabe."

Her head jerked up at his words and she got to work on the chains after finding the keys hanging on the wall just outside the cell. Just like the last time she removed silver, some chunks of flesh were ripped off Eric's body causing her to cringe. She just closed her eyes and yanked. After all the silver was removed, she kneeled between his legs and offered him her neck. "You need to feed." He didn't hesitate and bit. The force of his bite shocked her at first, but she knew he needed the blood to heal to protect them until the FBI arrived. Eric was starved but he still managed to pull back after only a few draws. Sookie protested. "You need more."

"I can't weaken you. I'll manage. I'll take some just before the sun sets so we can try to escape then. I'll need my strength."

"We may not have to escape. I'm wearing a listening device so Potts should have enough to get the FBI in here." He pulled on her to his lap and using her good arm, she immediately grabbed one of his hands to play with them; luckily he had no marks there from Gabe. Scars and some still healing wounds were all over his torso even after feeding from her, and she was concerned about sitting on him. "Are you comfortable, am I hurting you, should I move?"

"You are exactly where you should be." He kissed her forehead to emphasize his point and moved his free hand to her hair, a soothing feeling for him.

"What did you get out of Newlin that Potts heard?"

"I got Newlin to admit that he had you captive and was planning to fry both of us at sunrise tomorrow." Eric stiffened, not for himself but because they also wanted to fry his Sookie. "He also offered up information about his weapon's stash for vampire genocide. If the recorder was working, Potts should have enough for the FBI to get in here." She closed her eyes as she concentrated on the minds upstairs. "We just need to fend off the Fellowship until they get here as the folks upstairs are busy getting ready for their lock-in."

"Yes, I've heard that word a few times. What the hell is that?"

"All the members are coming in and spending the night. No phones, no electronics, all Steve spewing his garbage until dawn when they had planned to put you in the sun with me tied to you." He growled at her words. "I'll keep listening to see if we are going to be joined down here, but they think Gabe is playing with me until the sun sets at least."

He wrapped his arms around her to soothe both of them since she had shuddered at the words. "I can't believe that the Fellowship being in the parking lot with silver nets was a coincidence. There must have been a leak."

"It was Hugo."

He pursed his lips together while he cursed to himself. "I knew there was something off about him but I couldn't say anything as a visitor in the area and with Hugo being owned by Isobel."

"Yeah, I read it as soon as I met him, but telling Godric while there were listening devices in the nest was tricky. I went to the bathroom and texted him. He came back with Stan and we departed for a safe house that Hugo had never been to. From there, we pulled more information. He set you up; your mission to plant V was always intended to be your capture." She continued to fill him in on the events since he'd been captured up until she arrived in the basement and he started to rouse himself from her fear.

"Sookie, is the Were that's capturing our discussion planning to edit it?"

"Yes, anything that mentions my listening skills will become static."

"Very good." He sighed an unnecessary sigh. "I was terrified for you when I could hear Gabe starting to go for you. I see your training with Potts has paid off."

"Well, the training and the handy weapons from Felix."

"Yes, I owe this Felix a favor."

They sat quietly for a few minutes until she blurted out, "I'm still mad at you, you know. Though I'm just as mad at myself for dancing with Mr. Handsy."

"I know I'm sorry about overreacting to the dancing."

"If I had received that video and it was you with someone I would have been mad too. It was the part where you didn't let us explain that hurt."

"I know."

"We still have a bunch of other stuff to discuss but I'll shelve that for now so we can, you know, concentrate on surviving." She ended with a smirk so he knew the serious stuff was over, for now at least.

"I agree and now we have one more item to discuss."

"Oh?"

"Oh yes. YOU, you're in trouble little girl."

"Me? What did I do?"

"I told you not to come to Dallas."

"Like I would ignore that I could use my 'talent' to help you." He looked to say something and she stopped him. "I've thought about this. You know if you had brought me to read the humans in the nest we could have prevented this. Hell, we could've used the fact that Hugo was spy to our advantage. Now? Now we are in reactive mode."

"You're right."

"You know . . . What, I'm right?" He nodded. "Well in any case that's all I'm saying about this because I refuse to spend the first moments we are finally back together arguing. Instead, you should use this time while we wait for the FBI to show me how much you missed me." She whispered the rest. "But be good cause Potts is recording us and be quick cause I want to see if we can rouse Gabe and get their plans from his head." He chuckled and complied with her request simply by holding her and whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

Across the street from the Fellowship, Potts chuckled as well. She could hear everything they were saying, and luckily he heeded Sookie's words because she didn't want to record something too private. Felix's phone rang, so she turned the volume down on the receiver. Felix took the call and when he ended it, he smiled at Potts. "They have the warrant based on what we replayed for them; they're on their way. 20 minutes."

"I'm calling Godric, he'll be up even if he can't get out right now." She dialed and as expected he answered. "Godric."

"Potts, what is the status? Why did you not call before now? Is Sookie safe?"

This was the part she was worried about. "She's with Eric." She started with that thinking it would soothe over the next bit. "They are in the basement at the Fellowship of the Sun church. They are safe and the FBI is on the way."

Godric didn't yell, and that was almost scarier to Potts. Instead he spoke calmly but full of anger. "Explain to me how she wound up in the basement of the Fellowship building when you left with her to simply follow Eric though the bond this morning?" He was seething in anger and nothing would appease him now.

"Godric, I know you're angry but now we must focus on having the FBI go in and getting them out safely. When can you travel to this location?"

He huffed at her for brushing his anger aside. "Sunset will be in about 40 minutes and my flight time will be another 5."

She described the car they were in and its location on the street making quick plans on how to handle the situation if there were any problems. Potts explained that Felix had additional Weres at the ready in the surrounding neighborhoods. Before he ended the call he informed Potts. "We WILL discuss how the day went when this is all over."

She blew out a breath she didn't even know she was holding before addressing Felix. "Ok, what do we need to do?"

"Nothing, we are to stay here and let them do this by the book."

Pott's phone rang, she smiled at the caller ID. "Hey there."

"Potts, I'm in Dallas."

"Alcide, what are you doing in Dallas?"

"Once Jason knew what was going on, he wouldn't stay put. Peter and I figured giving him an escort was the best option. Can you tell me where you are?"

"Outside the Fellowship. Sookie and Eric are inside." She heard him curse; then she continued. "The FBI is on the way, it's as under control as possible. Maybe you can convince him to stay clear?"

"He's not going to be happy until he sees her."

"Understood. I'll update you as soon as possible. Until then, you can fill him in."

"Oh, Jason heard everything, I'll see you soon."

After ending the call, she and Felix both watched the street in anticipation while listening to Sookie try and rouse Gabe for answers.

"Eric, throwing water on him isn't working. Maybe he's lost too much blood."

"Do you really want answers?"

"I want to know their plans, how much Hugo told them, and determine if we can still do any of the sabotage you all were planning."

"I can give him enough blood to wake him."

She thought about it for a moment. "No, we can't do that. Our bond is too important to have him soil it."

"I understand. I can heal the wounds externally so he won't really have my blood then try to slap him awake."

"That's a good compromise. Get on with it."

Eric worked to rub some blood on his back wounds to heal them minimally then he slapped Gabe's face a few times. While he worked, he asked Sookie about the activity upstairs. "Anything going on?"

"There was a Leon mentioned by Hugo, well thought by Hugo this morning. He's asking Steve for an update on us so we could have company soon."

"We have surprise on our side, they won't think I am awake since the sun hasn't set, and they will be expecting a functional Gabe when. . . "

Having heard more from upstairs, she cut him off. "Leon is on his way. I believe he's alone."

"Grab your blade and stand behind the wall at the stairs. If needed, you can charge out when he turns this direction at the bottom of the steps."

"What about Gabe, he'll see him when he turns."

"I can move like a blur and be in front of him before he realizes, you can have the blade at his back."

Sookie moved into position just as Leon opened the door to the basement and called out to Gabe. He was alone and almost half way down the stairs when he called out again, but he continued down. After he reached the bottom and turned he noticed Gabe but before he even registered that Gabe was hurt, Eric was in front of him. Leon gasped in surprise seeing the Vampire up and around before the sun set and HEALED after what Gabe had done the night before. Just as he moved to take a step backward, Sookie moved her blade into position in his back. "Don't move" she ordered, and he stopped. "Good, now I don't have to try and wake Gabe to get the information I want."

Leon was in a panic. The vampire was up and moving around, the woman was free and Gabe had obviously bled all over the place. He found that curious and as a result, asked that as his first question. "Why did you let him bleed? Don't you want to drink that blood?"

"Make no mistake about it; due to your friend's entertainment last night, I'm quite hungry. For the moment though, I'm more concerned about strategy then behaving like an animal to drink his blood in a frenzy." He pushed Leon into a chair and grabbed some of the ropes Sookie had found earlier to tie him in. "Now my fiancée would like to ask you a few questions, and you will be polite and answer them."

"Fiancée? She's a whore, and I'm not answering anything."

Eric punched him in the face. "That's the opposite of polite. Let's try again." He stood tall and moved towards Sookie placing his hands on her shoulders. "This is my fiancée, Sookie. You will answer her questions."

Sookie started with the first question right away so he didn't have time to come out with another remark like she heard brewing in his head. "What did Hugo tell you of the vampire's plans?"

"Who is Hugo?" He answered, but he thought, '_Shit, Hugo got outed? I have to tell Newlin. I wonder if the other vampire spies have been around. We need to contain this situation if Hugo went down_.'

She turned to Eric. "He's worried that his buddy's been outed and whether the other spies you guys sent in are around. We need to get them protected if they are. I know two of them were supposed to leave the building already. I don't know the location of the third spy." Leon's eyes went wide with fear. "Back to you Leon, what did Hugo share about the plans for the Fellowship?"

"What are you?" His voice shook as he asked. '_It's like she can read my mind. Nobody will ever believe me, that . . . that's just not possible. What kind of a freak is she? No wonder she's with a vamp, freaks, both of them.'_

"I don't appreciate being called a freak, and neither does my fiancé." Eric growled at hearing what he called her. Sookie ignored him to get her answers. "Can we get back to my question? What did Hugo tell you?"

His eyes shifted back and forth and he squirmed in his chair. '_FUCK! She can read my mind. Hugo didn't tell us much more than our leaders were 'assigned' to vampires and they were going to try and discredit us. He would confirm the details as each plan was made. The only one we knew so far was the Northman vampire.'_

"They know you guys were going to discredit them and that you each had a Fellowship leader assigned to you, but he only new about the plans you had to discredit Teddy. Your other plans are safe in general, but since they know the others are spies, we likely won't get the details we need to set them up."

"You're probably right min kära." He drew a breath as if debating his next move. He wanted to feed from Leon to restore his strength, but he didn't want to upset Sookie. Realizing his need for strength was too important he decided to move Leon to another area of the basement – he was just too hungry from the blood loss to skip this chance.

"Eric, what are you thinking about over there, I can feel your indecision about something?"

"Sookie, I'm going to take Leon for a few minutes, I simply must feed. I lost too much blood last night and we don't know what will happen when the FBI arrives. This will also allow me to heal you."

"I understand that you need to feed so you don't have to go anywhere. You can't heal me though; I need to keep these injuries for the FBI." Eric didn't like that at all, but he understood it. "Don't grimace; you can heal me after my injuries are documented. It won't be long now, the FBI are on the property."

"He kissed her forehead. I'll only be a moment." He nodded and moved toward a wide-eyed Leon still tied in the chair. The smell of fear was enticing Eric and he needed to wrestle with his control. He only wanted to feed then glamour Leon; this was about sustenance, not revenge. He and his fellow vampires would plan their revenge at a later time. He had bitten into Leon's neck and looked up to see Sookie watching. This was new, he'd fed from her, but she'd never seen him feed on anyone before. Out of concern for her reaction, he checked the bond: curiosity, relief and a bit of lust. His eyebrow quirked up at the lust and she blushed knowing he felt it. When he finished feeding, he moved to stare into Leon's eyes for the glamour and again he felt her curiosity, no doubt she was also feeling his mind while he worked to imbed the glamour.

Sookie was so fascinated in Eric's glamour and the way Leon's mind felt that she didn't hear someone move behind her and place a blade at her neck. Eric's head whipped around a second too late. Both of them had been absorbed in Eric's actions and missed the approach of Steve Newlin. "Get away from him vampire or your whore dies."

"You would be killing yourself if you harm her Newlin."

"We're all going upstairs so I can get out of here safely. You've got the FBI with arrest warrants for me, which just won't do. You first blood sucker." Eric complied. He knew they just needed to get upstairs with more help, trying to take out Newlin here could be risky to Sookie. At the very least, he needed to ensure someone else could take down Newlin if he hurt Sookie so he could heal her right away. As Eric approached the stairs nearest him, Newlin directed him further. "We'll be using the other stairs, nearest to my sanctuary. I feel closest to God there and believe he will help me negotiate for my freedom so I can continue to spread his holy light."

"More like holy bullshit." Sookie gritted out and in response Newlin pulled the blade closer to her skin. She looked to Eric and he gave her their sign for obey. He needed her to obey Newlin until they could get to others.

"Do not tempt me to do a holy cleansing of you, right now whore." Sookie stilled at his words and complied when he pushed her towards the other side of the basement.

Once at the top of the stairs, Newlin guided them though another door and they were near the main church entrance and the FBI. Eric put his arms up to prevent any misunderstanding and spoke loudly. "Newlin has a hostage, please don't shoot." Then he stepped aside. With their superior eyesight, Godric and Pam, who had since joined Potts on the street, could both clearly see that Sookie was in fact a hostage and Newlin was now pushing her out the door. To prevent anyone from surprising him, he kept a wall to his back the whole time.

"Why didn't Eric take him out?" Pam wondered.

"I'm sure he had a reason. We need to get closer, I want to be able to support him if need be." He nudged Pam on the shoulder. "Let's go. Potts, you stay here." He nodded Stan's direction. "I'm getting closer to help Eric, please stay back. I don't want to risk her."

"Agreed, we don't want a bloodbath since now several news outlets are filming. We will control ourselves and show the world the monster here." Stan considered the implications of Newlin's actions. Newlin would be showing that his beliefs had actually broken him – risking a woman to get past the FBI. The least he could do was follow Godric's lead so that Sookie could be removed from Newlin unharmed, well at least not harmed any more. He could see she was limping and had bruising on her face already.

The FBI agent in charge, a Were, approached Newlin cautiously. "Reverend, I am agent Chambers. Please release your hostage; we don't want anyone to get hurt. We have a warrant to search your church to look for weapons and possible kidnap victims: Mr. Northman and Miss Stackhouse. Since we found both the victims and a stash of weapons on your property, we have a subsequent warrant that is now in effect: the arrest of you and your board. I have the 12 names listed here." He held up the paper and read the Reverend his rights.

The Reverend responded. "You are working with the devil himself. This woman is a whore of Satan and must be punished. You will have my car brought around and allow Leon safe passage from the basement so he can drive me and Miss Stackhouse away. The Lord will not allow me to be captured; I have not broken any laws." He smiled at his congregation, gathered on the lawn and too his right.

"You kidnapped and tortured a man." The reverend scoffed at his words. "You locked his fiancée away with him, wounding her in the process, and your plans were to kill them both when the sun rose in the morning. You've broken several laws."

Newlin heard his congregation gasp at the words of the agent. "You see, my flock does not agree with you. These two are not worthy of holding me to our laws. I am within my rights using the word of God to punish them as I see fit." He added with a smug smile. He continued to hear murmurings from his congregation, and after a moment, one moved forward. He smiled at the man, he didn't know his name, didn't really care but he was standing up for his Reverend and he basked in it for a second. Until the words started.

"Reverend, you shame us. You've taken an innocent woman as a hostage to save your own skin? Several of the board have already been arrested and removed from the site and you leave us, your loyal worshippers, here to be questioned while you try to protect only yourself? That is not what a Christian man of honor would do, that's not the model for the church I joined." He took a deep breath and looked directly at the Reverend. "I renounce you. " The Reverend's face grew angry, but the brave man continued. He waved his hands to the crowd. "Is anyone with me?" About 3/4ths of the crowd raised their hands.

Stan smiled. '_This is working out better than all the discredit plans we had. Much better._'

Agent Chambers tried again. "Release Miss Stackhouse."

"Never, she will die now!" As he spoke the words, he moved the blade into position, but before he could begin cutting her a shot rang out hitting Newlin and at the same time, Eric ran to grab Sookie. With her now safely in his arms, he looked in the direction of the shooter and saw Alcide and Jason emerge from the cover of some large bushes. Jason was carrying a gun.

"Peter called me earlier today. He couldn't get Jason to stay in Bon Temps once he heard what was happening. I called my 'friends' here to get any information they had and we flew in about 2 hours ago then came looking for you both. I figured it was better to allow him to get to Dallas with a proper escort than have him run off." Eric nodded.

Jason stood tall and announced to the crowd. "That's my baby sister and her Fi- ancy. Nobody fucks with my family."


	37. Revelations

**HAPPY WEEKEND!**

**Finally, a non cliffy type chapter. Hope you enjoy it. **

**~mags**

Chapter 36 - Revelations

February 24, 2004

"That should do it Mr. Northman, Miss Stackhouse. Thank you for your cooperation." Agent Chambers was just completing their interviews and they were now free to go.

"Agent Chambers, thank you for your assistance with the Fellowship." He moved to pick up Sookie. "Are you ready Min kära?"

"Yes. Where are we going anyway?"

"Back to Godric's house; the one we stayed in before." The rental car was parked at the curb and he buckled her in.

"Pam, Jason, Alcide, Potts?"

"They'll be there as well. We aren't staying long, just to get you healed and rested. We'll fly home at first dark tomorrow." He could see her visibly relax. "I know you want to get home and check on Gran."

"What about Jason, is he in trouble? I know Newlin didn't die, but he still shot him and I'm worried for him."

"No, the Weres we have in the FBI helped push through the paperwork. He may need to return for a meeting with a judge, but it would be a formality. I will ensure it's all take care of."

"Thank you."

He drove quickly to Godric's house while Sookie announced, "we still need to have our talk." Eric got a horrified look. "Relax Eric. I love you, I've missed you, but the time apart did make me realize we should talk about some things. I just don't want to do that here, with all the extra people; I want to wait until we are home." They reached the driveway and Pam walked out to greet them. "Pam!" Sookie yelled.

"My little Crumbcake!" Pam exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around Sookie while she was still sitting in the car.

Eric chuckled. "What about me?"

"Oh yeah, Hi." She smirked and walked to meet him at the front of the car. It was awkward for a moment since they had not seen each other since Eric had broken up with Sookie. Knowing he had relationship mending to do, Eric made the first move an opened his arms. Pam moved into his embrace then stepped back and pulled back to look directly in his eyes, "I'm still mad you know; you were a right ass. You're lucky she wanted to work things out and we 're all taking her lead."

"I know Pam, I know."

"Good, that's much better." Potts commented from the door.

Pam just sneered at her while Eric moved to collect Sookie from the car. "I can feel you're hungry, do you want to eat first or be healed first?"

"That's a tough call." She leaned into his ear to whisper. "If we only did a quick healing, we could do that first, but I want to, um, enjoy it." Eric turned to see her face and she was waggling her eyebrows.

This surprised him as he figured she'd want to have their talk before they jumped back into bed together. He wasn't about the question it though. "Food first, then we retire early."

He placed her in a kitchen chair and asked what she wanted. "Do we have the stuff to make grilled cheese?"

Potts hugged Sookie once she was settled and returned the engagement ring to her finger. She stood and moved to the kitchen. "I'll get your sandwich Sookie."

Eric moved into the cooking area. "I've got it."

Thirty minutes later, Sookie had eaten, plans were finalized for the trip home at first dark, and the group had broken up for sleep. Sookie felt a whoosh of air and found herself in the bedroom they'd shared just a few weeks ago. After he sat her on the bed she started to scoot back and he stopped her. "No wait at the edge Sookie. I need to do something." With that, he knelt before her and took her face in his hands. "I told you I needed to beg your forgiveness." Sookie opened her mouth to speak and he stopped her. "Let me finish this please." She nodded. "I meant what I said about never having any regrets in my life until the day after I left you. I know you want to talk through some things so we are 'on the same page' so to speak, but this is me promising you forever Sookie. I'll never leave you again. I'll fight anyone I need to keep you safe and by my side. All that I have is yours: my life, my blood, my body, my sword, my wealth, my heart." As he spoke, the look on Sookie's face turned to pure love and his heart swelled. A few tears escaped and he gently wiped them away.

Knowing what it meant to have her 1000 year old vampire on his knees begging her, she sat up tall and took his hands from her face to hold them. Then she looked directly into his eyes and said. "This is me accepting everything from you and promising you forever. I too offer everything that I have: my life, my blood, my body, my blades, my tiny bit of wealth, my heart. Only I just want to wait a few years on the life part."

His emotions exploded: Sookie had just told him she'd made her decision to become a vampire. He would never be without her. "Sookie. Do you mean it?"

"I do."

"I love you, our forever means so much more now."

"I love you, that's kinda why I decided to become a vampire silly." The intensity she was getting from him needed to come down a notch. She expected a reaction, but his emotions were so powerful she was having trouble breathing. "Eric, calm down, we have time. You're so excited you're almost suffocating me with your emotions."

"Ok min älskade." He focused for a moment and lessened his excitement. "Better?" She nodded. He chuckled at her and moved forward to take her lips in a kiss.

"So?"

"What?"

"Do you accept my promises?"

"Min älskade, I accept everything. If my undead heart could beat, it would be pounding out of my chest." He moved to the headboard and positioned Sookie between his legs. "Now, you need to heal."

"Can we exchange?"

"Yes, I will take only a little for our bond. Between Leon and the bagged blood I'm not hungry." With that he bit into his wrist and placed it in front of Sookie's mouth. Having missed feeding from Eric while he was gone, she latched on without hesitating and drank. He caressed her neck and bit, taking only a few small pulls. The mutual feeding caused a spike in lust, and now that she was healed, he acted on it. "It's been too long Sookie, I need you now." Lifting her skirt and ripping her panties as he moved her, Eric had her on her hands and knees while he positioned himself behind her. To further prepare her, he raised her hips up further. "Are you ready min älskade?"

"Yes Eric, fuck me, take me!"

He did just that, pushing in forcefully while bending over her to hold her shoulders and they both moaned at the contact. The pounding continued for a few minutes before he rose up and swatted her behind playfully. "Naughty girl, coming to Dallas when I told you to stay home." He didn't miss the burst of lust through the bond from his action. '_Interesting, she liked that_.' He did it again, to the other cheek a tad harder. ANOTHER burst of lust from her. He leaned back over her again and spoke in her ear, trying to gage her reaction. "My Sookie, if you need to be spanked again, I'll put you over my knee." She actually groaned this time and he felt the wave of lust again. Her lust spurred him on and he continued at vampire speed, taking them both over the edge.

They lay tangled in each other's arms. "That was so good." Sookie cooed. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you as well min älskade." They enjoyed being wrapped around each other for several minutes until Eric felt a rush of embarrassment from Sookie. "What is it Sookie?" As she'd hidden her face in his shoulder he needed to move to get her to answer. He freed her head and looked into her face. "There's no need for embarrassment, tell me, what's going on in that head?"

"I feel like it's wrong that you swatted me and I liked it. Am I turning into Yvetta?"

Resisting the urge to chuckle at her comparison to Yvetta, he thought for a moment about his answer. "Sookie, a few swats, or perhaps just my dominance isn't the same thing as turning into Yvetta. I barely tapped you. I didn't cause you any pain right?" She shook her head. "Yvetta craved pain as part of sex. Honestly, there are many people who respond to pain like that. My guess is you liked the control more than anything. This is no different than when you sometimes take control as you did for the first time in this very bed or the time I tied you to the headboard with the turkey ties and tickled you with the pastry brush. You liked that, I think we should do that again, and soon, but I digress. There is NO SHAME in what we did, no reason for embarrassment."

"What about what you said, are you really going to put me over your knee?"

"No, I won't ever punish you. I'll put you over my knee for fun if you want it though." He waggled his eyebrows.

"I'll say no for now on that. But what do you mean about not punishing me. I DON'T WANT IT, but I know there may come a time. . ."

"No Sookie, there will never come a time that I will punish you. The vampire hierarchy can fuck themselves. Please, don't put us in that situation, but you aren't my pet, or simply a vampire's companion. You're my equal, we're a team."

"I won't put us in that situation, but you've just made me very happy." She moved to kiss him and was stopped by the knock at the door.

"WHAT!" Eric bellowed, furious that they had been interrupted.

It was Pam. "Eric, I'm sorry to interrupt, but Stan Davis is on the phone. He needs to talk to you before dawn."

"Come in."

Pam entered and handed him the phone and he switched it to speaker phone. "Your highness."

"Eric, I apologize for the interruption. It's necessary though. I have a request."

"Go on."

"The incident with the Fellowship has left many of us in the state concerned. I know you planned to leave at first dark, but can I persuade you and Miss Stackhouse to stay for one more night so she can read the key pets and companions of my vampires. At least as many as possible in one night?"

"My bonded's grandmother is ill, it's one of the reasons we were leaving so quickly."

"I'll put you on a private plane no later than 4AM; she can be home in time to see her the day after tomorrow. Security and coffins will be provided to ensure your safe return home since it will be close to dawn when you land. I've already contacted your Queen to confirm Sookie's use out of state in accordance with the asset contract for you. In addition, I would be in your debt, well, additionally in your debt, Northman since you aided our state with the Soldiers of the Light."

"What do you have planned?"

"They can all be gathered by 10PM at the Silent Shore Hotel. Other than that, I would need your guidance on how to proceed. Does Miss Stackhouse need to read each one individually?"

"Give us a moment, please."

He muted the call. "Sookie, I leave this up to you."

"I want to help, but I want to be firm on the departure time. Gran is my priority, I need to be home."

"Sookie." Pam interjected. "Can you do something similar like finding the thief at Fangtasia and the spies at the palace? Gather them together and start some conversation?"

"Yes, we can do something like that. Good idea Pam. . . . We can eliminate folks quickly. I'll need a signal to indicate who should stay and who should go." Pam watched as she grabbed her maker's fingers, a move she noticed Sookie doing frequently for comfort. "It has some risks of missing folks. We'll need to identify as many as possible in the group, then I can do individual reads of the others. Oh, and let's start at 8PM for the more local folks. You know, get as many done earlier as possible." Eric moved to unmute the phone and she stopped him. "One more thing. I need to know what would constitute a problem pet or companion. I mean, obviously a Fellowship spy, but what about gold diggers or vampire wanna-bes? Honestly, I feel like we should focus on the Fellowship or other severe threats and leave the others behind."

"Good thinking my little strategist. Now, can I get back to Stan?" She smiled and nodded.

Eric worked through the details with Stan, getting input from Pam and Sookie while he tried to hold the conversation. He hung up with barely enough time for Pam to make it to her light tight room. After texting Potts and Alcide with the new plans, Eric started crawling slowly towards Sookie on the bed. "Now, we have a short while before the sun takes me. What will we do with that time?"

Sookie put her finger to her chin and thought hard for a moment. She made an AHA face and offered. "Something we haven't done in a while."

"I'm listening." He'd reached her and moved his ear to her lips so she could whisper her idea to him.

"It's the first thing we ever did that involved touching."

"Tell me." He whispered.

She presented him with her feet clad in the huge men's socks that she liked to wear. "I want a foot rub."

OOOoooOOOooo

Sookie woke shortly after lunchtime the next day. The other breathers were already up and congregating in the kitchen. "Good morning Sweets." Alcide started. She offered a grumpy hello. "So you're working tonight, huh?"

"Yeah, a group thing." She started sipping some coffee and waking up. "I have to ferret out the Fellowship of the Sun spies and any humans that mean to do harm to their vampires."

"How are you going to do it?"

"I need help. According to Stan, there are about 150 pets and companions to read tonight. I can handle about 25 at a time for reading. So I have the hotel providing 6 breakout rooms starting at 8PM for the closest pets and they'll put 25 in per room until they have all arrived. Stan expects everyone there by 10PM. I'm going into each of the rooms as a pet myself and need you guys to go in and start chats about what just happened at the Fellowship. I'll move around the room to listen in. Hopefully, some of the pets won't show up and in that case, we'll just consider them Fellowship spies and they don't know what to do with the fall of the Fellowship."

"If the Fellowship broke up, why da we need ta worry?" Jason asked.

"There was another branch of the Fellowship, Soldiers of the Light. We can't be sure they are still up and running. There could be different leaders, and that problem has traveled to other states. Jason, Louisiana has had problems. Specifically we lost a few vampires to drainers from the Soldiers of the Light. So I need you guys to mention the words Soldiers of the Light as well, it could trigger something."

"No problem Sweets."

"Ok, that business is over, what's for breakfast or lunch?"

Potts laughed at her. "It's your day."

Sookie gasped, "I think I have an excuse!" Potts shook her head but turned around and grabbed a dish from the oven. "You guys are bad! Teasing me like that."

"You're so easy to rile up Sookie."

They spent the afternoon relaxing at the house and using the pool. Since the house had only been stocked with a limited supply of food, they ordered out for an early supper and after eating, Sookie went to snuggle with Eric until he rose for the night. She sprawled herself across his body, trying to make as much contact as possible. Strong arms banded around her back a few minutes later and she offered a lazy smile. "I really missed this. I really missed you. We really can't be apart like that. It hurts too much."

"That's the bond."

"I think I would miss you without the bond. But you're right, the pain is more than just missing you, it's physical."

"So we won't be apart." He punctuated that with a kiss to her nose. "Did you work out the details with Potts, Jason and Alcide?"

"Yes, everyone knows what they need to do. When can we leave this room?"

"About 6:15/6:30."

"So we have some time. Whatever will we do?" She waggled her eyebrows when she asked.

"I have an idea."

"I bet."

"I want a foot rub." She burst out laughing.

"You know that lead to something anyway."

OOOoooOOOooo

Eric and his entourage entered the lobby of the Silent Shores Hotel and were guided to the meeting rooms. Sookie heard a strange echo in her head and stopped dead while walking to understand it. The group stopped with her and watched as she closed her eyes, seeming to concentrate.

She zoned in on one particular mind. '_Oh great, more vampires. I've got to get a new job. Wait, what's that echo, I can hear my thoughts bouncing around with someone else's_.' Sookie opened her eyes and spun until she could see the source. He had been looking around as well and their eyes locked on each other. He sent. '_You can hear me_?' She answered yes. '_Do you know why we can hear minds_?'

Instead of answering, she approached him and took his hand. "No I don't. Can you leave work early? Join my group for a while?"

"Why?"

She sent him the answer. '_You've been hiding for too long, working nights here to enjoy the quiet of the vampires, yet you are terrified of them. You can do more. I can help you with shields. Come, spend time with my group. I'm Sookie Stackhouse.'_

_'I'm Barry Horowitz. Stackhouse . . . you're the meeting room thing tonight?'_

_'Yes, I'm reading humans who are associated to vampires to ensure there are no Fellowship spies or other dangers.'_

_'Why would you do that?'_

_'Do you support the Fellowship?'_

'_Not at all. Even before yesterday, I felt they were dangerous fanatics, the when I saw what they did to that poor woman_. . .' He gasped and continued out loud. "Oh my God, that was you? But you were bruised and hurt. You seem fine now."

"A benefit of being bonded to a vampire. Look, I don't have time to answer all your questions now, but really, you can have a better life. Just come and see." Pulling out some papers as a cover for her mental conversation, she continued in thought. _'If it's a problem with leaving your post tonight, I can request you for needed assistance with the meetings.'_

_'I just don't know. Can we meet tomorrow?"_

_'No, this is my last night in town. Just come and learn more. What could it hurt?'_

_She could hear a barrage of thoughts in his head and she waited until he finally purposely sent, 'You can really clear it with my boss?'_

_'Yep.'_

_'That will be great. I can't just stop working since we have so many checking-in tonight and I want to learn more, though I'm not promising anything.'_

_'Whatever you decide is fine.' _She looked at him with her head cocked_. 'Don't you get approached by vamps though?'_

_'Yeah, I'm told I smell sweet.'_

_'Join the club.' _She turned to Eric and whispered. "I'll explain later."

"I think I figured it out." He put his hand on the small of her back to guide her. "Come, Stan and his group are waiting for us. They have the first two rooms full of pets and companions."

Stan was waiting for them in the meeting room area with Liz, the Were that was one of the Fellowship spies. The two groups exchanged introductions. "I didn't realize you two are together?"

"Yes, I'm Stan's companion." Liz confirmed.

Sookie tucked away that information and made her request for Barry. "Your highness. . ."

"It's Stan, remember Sookie?"

"Yes, Stan. I was hoping you could arrange for the bellboy, Barry Horowitz, to assist me. I read him in the lobby and found him to be very unsympathetic to the Fellowship so I know I can trust him. I really could use an assistant."

"I'm certain we can find someone better than a bellboy."

"I agree, but I want to get started, and as I said, I know he is trustworthy."

He turned to the Gary, one if his sheriffs. "Go arrange for this Barry to work for us in the meeting area for the evening." Gary nodded and headed off. "Anything else Miss Stackhouse?"

"Yes, are any of our meeting rooms empty still?"

"Yes, a few, we have vampires and humans still traveling from around the state."

"Can we talk for a few minutes?"

"Follow-me." Stan led Eric, Sookie and Godric to an empty meeting room.

Once in the room, Sookie turned to Eric and he explained. "Your highness (He used the official term since Sookie was the only one in the group given permission to call him Stan.) We are concerned about what your vampires plan to do with the humans who are spies?"

"I gather they plan to kill them."

"Sookie is concerned about that. You see. . ."

"My agreement via your asset contract is for reading the humans and finding spies. I'm not interested in her concerns."

"Your highness let me explain. It's not what you think."

He stared at the couple and considered ignoring their comments until he remembered that the human in front of him had proven herself several times already. "Go on."

"Sookie is concerned about how it will look if there is a large group of humans suddenly missing. Once investigated; the link to vampires could cause questions. Feed the humans lies about anything vampire. Glamour them to tell you what THEY know of the Fellowship of the Soldiers of the Light. USE the humans as intelligence while keeping them at arm's length."

Stan stayed quiet for a moment considering the suggestion. He turned to Godric. "Have all the vampires gather here for instruction." Looking back at Sookie he gave a small smile. "Sookie, my apologies on the outburst about your idea. I should have listened right away. I believe you are correct. Thank you. Before you begin, the local Packmaster, Don Brennan wanted to speak to you." Looking towards the door, he continued, "Here he is now."

"Miss Stackhouse?"

"Sookie, please."

"Sookie then. I'm Don Brennan local Packmaster."

"Pleased to meet you." She gestured to Eric. "This is my bonded, Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area 5 in Louisiana."

"Sheriff."

"Packmaster." They both nodded while being introduced.

"I understand you ensured the safety of two of my pack members that were spying in the Fellowship?"

"Yes, I knew they were at risk if they stayed inside."

"Sookie?" Eric asked. She gave him the later sign.

The Packmaster continued. "Well, we take actions like that seriously here. I know you don't live in Texas, but you are hereby granted Friend of the Pack status."

Knowing Sookie didn't realize the honor she was just given, Eric answered for her. "Packmaster that is very gracious, thank you." He turned to her and also gave her the later sign.

"I won't keep you; Mr. Davis informed me you have a full plate tonight." He said his goodbyes leaving Sookie, Eric and Stan in the room.

She addressed Stan. "Now I'd like to begin, and I can hear Barry's thoughts already, so I know he is here."

"Give him your instructions, and we will meet you in the first meeting room in 10 minutes."

The readings went well. With her human friends striking up conversations about the Fellowship and her wondering the room, she was able to identify 14 out of the first two rooms as Fellowship or Soldiers of the Light spies. They were all discreetly 'labeled' and would be dealt with as she suggested. The remaining rooms yielded the same results, but with one addition: Barry began to read with her and signal to her mentally as needed. She conversed with him via his thoughts throughout the evening and when they took a break, she asked Eric about introducing Barry and Stan. He came back after meeting discreetly with Stan and told Sookie it would be a very positive outcome, so she made the introduction. Once that was settled, she and Barry were both able to interview the remaining pets and companions to determine if they were missed in the large room sweep.

The evening was a success and they were able to board their private plane before 3AM. Godric surprised Sookie by traveling with them. He explained on the plane that he arranged for some time off from his Sheriff duties and he wanted to get to know Gran and spend time with Eric since his capture had been upsetting. Sookie smiled, she truly enjoyed Godric's company and was looking forward to spending more time with him. Plus, she knew it would make Eric happy.

After she recovered from takeoff, Sookie and Eric had the conversation related to the Packmaster's visit. "Eric, can you explain friend of the pack?"

"Yes, it basically means you can call on them for protection or assistance at any time. All members of his pack are bound to serve and protect you as needed."

"Wow. How long does that last?"

"You're always a friend of the Pack, even if the pack leadership changes. Now, can you explain why you helped the two weres leave the Fellowship when you were in danger?"

"Relax; it was a backup to get word to Potts that things were going badly. The listening device could have been a problem, and since there was no way for Potts to confirm she heard me, I needed to be sure some help was coming."

"Very well. We will review all this strategy in detail later."

"Ok, can we just relax now, the flight is difficult enough."

"Sure." He unbuckled her and sat her on his lap to calm her more.

The flight landed in Shreveport shortly after 4AM. After deplaning, Sookie stood awkwardly next to Eric. "Eric, um, are you, ah . . . where are we both going now?"

He hadn't thought about it, rather he just figured they'd go to Gran's and he would rest in the safe room with Thalia. Now he wasn't sure, given Sookie's nervous state. He wondered if Gran was really that mad at him. "I thought we'd go to Gran's. Do you not want me there? Is Gran that mad at me?"

She smiled brightly. "Of course I want you there. I do want us to take the time for our talk at our house but not now, I really need to get to the farmhouse and check on Gran during the day tomorrow." He matched her wide smile at her reference to 'our house' and he hoped she really meant it. "Gran is mad at you, so you best be ready to talk with her right away."

"I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to get back in her good graces." Pam and Godric were off the plane and joined them by the waiting limos. "Godric, I offer you our home for your rest today and Pam can drive you to Gran's tomorrow."

"I'm looking forward to it." He guided Pam to one of the limos and they left after giving their goodbyes.

"Alcide are you returning to Bon Temps with us?" He and Potts shared a glance. "I'm already fully aware that you are now together, if that's what's causing your hesitation."

"I wasn't sure how you would feel about it."

"As long as it doesn't cause a problem with your guard duties, I don't care."

"Then yes, I will be staying with Potts in Bon Temps tonight, I mean today."

"Then let's head out. I don't want to get caught too close to dawn with the drive we have."

Jason hung up the phone and joined them. "Jason, we need to go to your Gran's first. I need to ensure I can get to my safe room as soon as possible. The limo will take you to your house after we're dropped off."

"Ma truck is at Gran's so we only need to get to there. She's doin' fine, I just spoke to her night nurse."

Sookie fell asleep on the drive back to Bon Temps and Eric carried her to her room. He was just getting her comfortable in bed when Gran appeared at the door. "Baby girl, is that you?"

He glanced over and was pleased to see Gran walking in with only a walker to steady her. She really had improved while he was gone. He whispered back to her. "I'm sorry we woke you. Sookie fell asleep in the car. I'm just getting her into bed." He finished with her shoes and was taking her jeans off while he spoke.

"She's OK then?"

"Yes, it's a long story but yes." He kept his eyes on Sookie, not yet ready to face an angry Gran. She could still scare him. "I know you want to talk, I have about 30 minutes before I need to seek shelter if you want to start now."

"Yes, that would be good Eric. You get her tucked in and I'll be in the kitchen."

"Certainly. You're OK on your own there?"

"Yes, the nurse tries to hover, but I wait for her to use the bathroom to try getting around on my own."

He chuckled. "I would expect that from you."

Gran started to leave the room but turned to watch Eric before he headed down the hall. He had pulled the blankets up to her shoulders and leaned over to kiss her gently before wishing her a good sleep.

Gran was mad at Eric for leaving Sookie, but she knew why he did it, and she also knew he had apologized to Sookie. Her understanding didn't mean he was off the hook though; she wanted to give him a good 'what for' herself.

He joined her in the kitchen, just down the hall from the bedrooms. "Can I get you some tea or anything else?" He was purposely not calling her Gran. Until they talked, he wasn't sure it was a term she would allow from him just yet.

"Tea would be nice Eric." She was endlessly impressed with his ability to 'be human' when it came to little things related to caring for Sookie, and therefore other members of the family. She spoke to him while he fussed with the kettle and the teacup. "Eric, I know Sookie has made peace with you and your actions. I'm happy about that, truly. I also understand why you felt leaving her was the best thing for her." Remembering Sookie's hurt rose her ire and she let loose a bit. "In the words of the younger generation: WHAT THE HELL ERIC!? You need to know that I'll find some way to stake you if you ever hurt her like this again." He actually winced at hearing Gran curse and raise her voice. Gran took a breath and continued in a more normal voice now. "You made a decision that would continue to hurt her since you need exchange blood forever and you need to work together. Where was the logical Eric we know?"

"He missed that meeting, that's for sure."

"Damn right." She paused for a moment then continued. "You two had better learn to communicate more. I know this is your first relationship in your 1000 years as a vampire. It's her first as well so you're going to screw up. Just talk to one another or someone else before you react if anything like this comes up again. You've been around a long time; you didn't get this old by acting irrationally."

"No, I didn't. I tend to lose all coherent thought when it comes to Sookie."

"And part of that is charming and sweet – just don't be an ass about it and make decisions for the two of you without thinking things through. Your decision and all the parts that went with it?" She shook her head. "I wasn't sure she'd get over it – ever."

"I know that. I regret the decision and I've told her that." He brought the sugar and milk to the table and then sat to look directly at Gran for his next statements. "I promised her, and I promise you now, I won't leave her again. We're forever."

Jason was in the living room and had planned to go to the kitchen before he heard Gran and Eric talking. He too had been upset with Eric, but Gran had clearly designated herself the matriarch of the family. Since she was speaking to Eric and giving him a good dressing down, he would leave his feelings out of it. If Gran approved of the situation that was good enough for him. Shaking his head, he actually took a moment to feel sorry for the guy. He'd gotten it from Sookie, Pam and now Gran. It didn't mean he wasn't going to listen in from the hallway though.

To Eric's ears, he heard the very start of the kettle whistling so he grabbed it before it could wake Sookie. He poured the water over the teabag and set the cup on the table for Gran. She thanked him for the tea and placed a hand over Eric's on the table. "Well, we're good. I'll put my silver jewelry back in its box." They both laughed.

"Thank you . . . Gran."

"You've been afraid to call me that haven't you?

He gave her a nod. "You're incredibly perceptive."

"For an old woman who had a stroke."

"For anyone."

She looked down the hall and spoke just a bit louder. "Jason, I know you're there. Do you have anything to add?"

Eric and Gran both looked down the hallway as Jason approached. "Nah, Gran if you're good; I'm good. I just wanted something to drink before driving home."

"Jason, just stay here. Potts and Alcide share a room so there's still one left upstairs." He nodded his acceptance. "And Jason, I saw you on TV taking out that man who was going to hurt your sister. I'm damn proud of you. Come down here for a hug."

"She's ma baby sister, I weren't gonna let anyone hurt her." After Gran released him, he grabbed a glass of juice, patted Eric on the back, and headed upstairs to bed.

"Gran, there is something else I need to discuss with you. It's not going to be easy."

Gran looked a little surprised, she wondered what he could possibly have to discuss that would be difficult.

"It's about Fintan."

Gran's eyes grew wide. "How could you. . ." She trailed off, not finishing her statement.

He gave her a moment before he continued. "My maker, Godric; well his maker is the oldest vampire on earth, and she is a seer."

"Godric's maker is the Ancient Pythoness?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "You already know I am more aware of the supernatural than you originally thought."

"Ok, but she's not that well known outside vampire circles." He paused, but Gran said nothing more. "Anyway, the Ancient Pythoness knows about Fintan and you. I can explain further tonight, but I honestly think Sookie and Jason should know. I can't keep this from her."

"I understand. I'll tell them tonight, will you join us?"

"Yes, we should talk when the sun first sets so you can talk with Jason and Sookie before Pam gets here."

"As you said, Godric already knows, and Sookie and Pam are as thick as thieves, so I don't mind if they're here or not. Maybe we can have the talk at sunset so Sookie and Jason can absorb the information; then we'll continue talking about what it all means. I gather you know who Fintan is?"

"I met Fintan once. I know Niall better."

"I never met Niall, but I know who he is. Guess you're surprised to be engaged to a fairy princess, eh?"

"Shocked would be the word." He turned his head to the back door. "Thalia is on her way in and I also need to get to the safe room. I will see you tonight Gran." He leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I'm glad you're doing so much better."

"I'm glad you're back Eric, I mean, back safely and back with us."

"Me too."

OOOoooOOOooo

"Good morning sleeping beauty." Potts called to Sookie when she walked sleepily into the kitchen. She kind of growled at Potts and sat next to Gran giving her a hug.

"Gran, it's really good to see you."

"I missed you baby girl. Seeing you on the news was difficult. I was scared for you. I'm mighty proud of Jason though."

"Yeah, I was scared. I mean, I knew Eric would heal me and he would have gone for Newlin but Jason took Eric out of the equation. That made it better for the vampires."

"Yes, I was watching the news casts after the incident. The vampires came out as the victims."

"As they were! They captured Eric and they were planning to fry him."

"I didn't mean otherwise, calm down Sookie. I know what happened."

"Sorry Gran. It's just; I'm still feeling raw from the whole thing."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Sookie thought about it. She had reported the incident to the FBI, but hadn't really talked through it. Her fear of dying, fear of being raped, fear for Eric. To share that with Gran though? That would be too much for her she decided. Girl time with Pam would be the better way to deal with it. "Nah Gran. I want to catch up on your progress. But first, I'm starving!"

"I'll do some Physical Therapy while you eat." She moved the walker into place and rose from the table. "Oh, Tara and Lala called yesterday, I told them you'd be home today. They're planning to visit."

"Great! And look at you, getting out of a chair on your own and moving around. It looks like the walker is only to keep you steady now."

"Yes, Annabelle has been working me hard."

"Well, good on her then." She smiled at Annabelle who had come to collect Gran.

OOOoooOOOooo

Alcide and Jason woke around lunchtime when Tara and Lala arrived to a very loud welcome. "Jesus Sook, cain't a man sleep round here?"

"Jason, it's 2 in the afternoon. You need to get back into your routine somehow."

"Still Sweets, your squealing is loud enough to wake the vampires I bet."

"It's not that bad Alcide."

"hrmph." He leaned over to kiss Potts on the cheek. "Good morning beautiful." They smiled at each other.

"Sookie?" She spun around to see Sam had arrived with Lala and Tara. She was a little icy when she first made eye contact with him. "I . . . I came to apologize. I'm sorry Chere. Do you think a hero like you can forgive me?"

She was surprised and a little skeptical at first until she saw the pleading look on his face. "Sure Sam, come on in."

"Hookah, sits down and tells Lala what the fuck happened to you."

"Ok Lala. Let me tell you while I cook something for Alcide and Jase."

"No cooking Chere. I packed take out from the bar."

"Thanks Sam."

The group visited for so long, Sookie could feel Eric wake from his rest. Wanting some alone time with Eric, she spent a few minutes during the day preparing for his wake up. With Potts' help, she had resurrected the light blocks from the hallway and covered her bedroom window again. "If y'all will excuse me, Eric is up and I want to spend some time with him before he talks with Gran."

Jason informed her, "Oh, he and Gran already talked this mornin' Sook." Her eyes grew wide. "Don't worry Sook, s'all good."

"Ok, well I'll go get the scoop from Eric."

"Hooker, you's just wants some man time."

"LALA!" She exclaimed while turning red.

"Go on Sookie. Sam and I are working tonight at Merlotte's so we need to head out." Lala told her.

She hugged her friends goodbye and headed to her room. "Come out sweetie, it's safe up here."

It only took a moment for Eric to get up the stairs and tackle her to the bed. "I hate not waking with you beside me." He ran his nose over her. "You had company?"

"Tara Lala and Sam." His eyebrow rose in question. "He came to apologize." Sookie had told Eric about Sam and Arlene on one of their daily calls. He knew how much Sam's attitude had hurt her so he was happy they'd come to an understanding.

"Ah, no doubt having seen you on the news."

"They wanted the scoop. I'm sure it'll be all over Merlotte's that they saw me today."

"Too bad we are too busy to stop in later."

"That would've been fun." He continued to nuzzle her neck and started removing her shirt. "ERIC!" She pushed her shirt back down. "There are too many people in the house. You'll have to wait. I mean, Thalia's just down the stairs in the closet."

"Then what are we to do while stuck here in your bedroom?" He asked while sneaking his hand up her shirt.

"You can tell me about your talk with Gran?"

"Did she tell you already?" Using one hand, he expertly unhooked her bra and moved his hand to the front.

"No, Jason told me you talked. Are you trying to distract me by playing with my nipples? I want to hear about this talk."

"I'll tell you, but I'm not moving my hand." He added a kiss that left her breathless; then shared information about his talk with Gran ending by telling her that he and Gran wanted to talk to her tonight.

"About what?"

"Let's just wait for Gran and Jason."

"Jason?"

"Yes, he needs to be there, but don't ask anything else for now." He squirreled a hand into her pants.

"Ok. Now what are you doing?"

"I wanna play." He almost whined. "You can be quiet."

"You know that's hard for me. Thalia could walk in like Pam did."

"Thalia, stay downstairs until I call you."

"Yes Master."

"There, that problem is eliminated." He moved to pull her pants down and she automatically shifted her legs to give him more access. The scent of her arousal hit him and he smiled. "You are so wet for me."

Replying as she pulled his boxers down, she said "Happens anytime you are near."

Eric had pushed her shirt up to expose her breasts and he paid some attention to both of them before he moved up to capture her mouth in a kiss. Having her mouth covered to muffle her noise, he entered her and proceeded to slowly make love to her. His movements were so tender she made only small moans and cooing noises until they both came. They were still calming down when Jason knocked on the door announcing sunset. "We'll be out in a minute." They dressed quickly and Eric called to Thalia.

"Mistress" Thalia bowed. "Your bravery is beyond compare. Thank you for efforts to free our Master in Dallas."

"Brave? I was scared shitless, but I appreciate your words. Thank you for watching over Gran while I was gone."

"My pleasure."

"Thalia, we have some family business to discuss tonight. After, Sookie and I will be leaving for Fangtasia then home before dawn. Will you stay here for several more days until we sort out living arrangements?"

"As you wish Master."

"Come Sookie, we need to gather Gran and Jason for our talk."

They met at the kitchen table: Gran, Jason, Sookie and Eric. "Jason, Sookie," Gran started. "There's something you need to know about our family."

From that start, Gran talked about her marriage to Mitchell. "Your grandfather had the mumps when he was young, making him sterile." Sookie stiffened at the words and grabbed Eric's hand knowing she wasn't going to like what was coming. "I met a man, a truly beautiful man one day when I was out hanging laundry. His name was Fintan Brigant and he was your true, biological grandfather." Sookie started shaking her head as if she was trying to remove the words then she put her hands up for Gran to stop. "Sookie, you need to hear this."

"But Gran, you cheated."

"I know baby girl. I know."

"You raised us to be so proper, nitpicking at every little infraction or curse word, imparting the importance of being a lady and yet you, you cheated on Grandpa!" Her initial upset changed to a bit of anger. "Where do you get off judging Jason for his promiscuity? Oh and your speeches about telling the truth? You've kept this from us for YEARS!" Her volume grew as she spoke and Eric tried to send her calm. This news was only the start of a long difficult discussion and they needed to move on. "Poor Grandpa, he loved us like we were his family. The lies Gran, the lies!"

"Sookie, your grandfather Mitchell knew everything and it never changed anything for him. Fintan explained that he could give us children and your Grandpa accepted it. He loved your father and your aunt just as he loved all his grandbabies. Don't let this news change any of your feelings or memories of him." When Sookie seemed to quiet for the moment, she sighed, preparing to continue. "There's more."

"I don't think I can handle more right now."

Eric moved her to his lap for reassurance. "It's important min kära."

"You knew?" The hurt clearly showing on her face.

"Only recently and I needed to discuss it with Gran first out of respect."

She wriggled to get out of his lap and Gran stopped her. "Don't you dare take any of this out on him! He only found out most of this in Dallas and you've been working through other issues since then. What little he knew before he was forbidden to tell. As soon as we spoke early this morning, he asked me to tell you tonight so he wouldn't have to keep it from you." Sookie maintained a defiant look towards Gran but settled into Eric's lap after hearing Gran's words; she leaned to his ear and offered an apology. Gran picked up where she'd stopped. "As I said there's more. Fintan was not entirely human."

Jason spoke his first words of the conversation. "He was vamper? I thought they couldn't have kids. Sook, does this mean you and Eric can have kids?"

Exasperated, Gran took Jason's hand. "Slow down boy. Fintan was not a vampire, he was a fairy."

"Gran, there's no need to be mean. Just 'cause he was gay don't mean he weren't human."

She looked to Eric for help and he responded. "Jason, have you ever considered that since vampires are real, other supernatural creatures might also be real?" Jason's face made him look constipated and Gran was at a loss. "Sookie, I have an idea, can I speak to you about it in your room?" She nodded and he stood taking Sookie with him down the hall.

"What's your idea?"

"Well, I've had this discussion with Jason before, when he was first captured. It was difficult and the only thing we could do to convince him about Weres was having one shift in front of him."

"You really think that's necessary?"

"Sookie, I was with him for a few hours trying to talk it through."

"Fine, call Alcide, he and Potts just left, they shouldn't be too far. But I'm not waiting; I want to know what the fuck a fairy is."

'_Wait until she finds out she's not just a fairy, but a fairy princess. Pam will want to buy her a tiara; I can just see it now. Wonder how pissed Sookie will be when I let her?'_

Once seated again in the kitchen after Eric called Alcide, they continued their talk. "Jason, I have a way to demonstrate what we mean by other types of creatures, can you let your Gran move on just knowing you will accept that fact shortly? I really must spend some time at Fangtasia this evening, but this conversation needs to finish."

"Fine, go on."

"As I said, Fintan was a fairy, well half fairy. His father was a full fairy and his mother a human. So that makes you both 1/8th fairy."

"So fairies are telepaths? Why didn't Jason become a telepath like me?"

Shifting nervously in her seat, Gran answered that question. Fearing both Sookie and Jason's reactions she explained. "Full fairies do have magical powers. Like full fairies, hybrids are very beautiful and can easily attract mates. Hence your brother's um, promiscuous ways. They are not telepaths. That my dear has a separate source."

"Are you going to tell me I'm a daemon or a witch now?" Sookie jokingly asked, giggling after she made the comment.

"Not exactly." Sookie's giggling stopped. "Fintan was bestowed a gift by a dear friend, a daemon. You know him. It was your . . . your Uncle Des. I was given a thimble of his blood to drink before I ever conceived a child. The blood bestowed the gift of telepathy to any descendant of Fintan's as long as they possessed the essential spark. That's a term in fairy related to your fairy essence, or magic. You baby girl, have the essential spark."

"What the fuck, ya tell me I'm a fucking fairy, but a broken one? I got to get outta here."

Eric handled Jason. "Jason, sit down and hear your grandmother out or I'll glamour you into that chair." Jason glared at Eric, but he sat back down.

Once Jason was settled back in his chair, Gran continued. "Jason, as Fintan explained to me, many hybrids do not possess the essential spark. Sookie is the only one in the family who has it. You and Hadley are part Fae but without the spark." She took Sookie's hand. "I'm sorry it caused you so much pain growing up baby girl. Fairies with the essential spark are like magnets to supernaturals. Desi thought it would offer any of Fintan's descendants' protection from that. We spoke about it recently; he had no idea it would actually not work on vampires, the group he most wanted to protect you from. No offense Eric, he approves of your union." Eric nodded. "The blood also gave me shields so you could be with me and not hear all my thoughts. It was provided as a level of comfort for you."

Gran stopped for a moment to take a drink and gave Sookie some processing time. After a moment of two of silence, Sookie looked at Gran. "There's more?"

"Yes. You see, some of the fae, that's the term for the species, were not happy that fairies started breeding with humans. Some are even angry to the point that there is a civil war over it. Some fairies are trying to come to earth to recapture and even kill the hybrids. It makes no sense to me seeing as the fae race is currently having problems reproducing, you'd think they would welcome all children."

"You just said coming to earth? Where do the fae live?"

"Ahh, I'm rushing through so much. We'll spend more time; perhaps invite uncle Des, to review some of this in detail. Anyway they live in their own realm, and there is a portal for that realm on our property. To protect you, Fintan warded this house from other fairies. Not even your great grandfather Niall knew about you, though with your introduction into the Supe world, that has likely changed."

"This Niall, he wants to kill me?"

"No, the fairy causing all these problems is Breandan Brigant. The general consensus for those involved believes he killed your parents." She gave an apologetic look to Jason and Sookie as she spoke. "He's Niall's nephew, the son of his departed older brother, Rogan."

"Am I in danger?"

"I don't know, and hopefully Uncle Des can help us find out. He still has connections to Fae." Gran paused and wrung her hands together. "Sookie, there's more."

"Christ on a Cracker Gran!"

"You aren't just both fairies. You're fairy royalty. Niall Brigant is the reigning Prince of Fae."

Sookie put her head on the table. "That's it, please? No more for tonight." Eric rubbed her back trying to comfort her. They were interrupted by Alcide's arrival, Pam and Godric on his tail.

"Northman, you called?"

"A moment Alcide. Gran, I need to step outside, but before I go, I'm very pleased to introduce you to my Maker, Godric."

"Pleased to meet you. Sookie has spoken fondly of you."

"The pleasure is mine Mrs. Stackhouse."

"Gran please." Godric's eyes widened, earning him a few chuckles from around the room.

"Min älskade, I'm taking Alcide and Jason outside for a bit." He placed her back in her seat. "Gran, you can give Pam and Godric the quick version if you like while we are gone."

When Eric returned with a dazed Jason, he could hear the end of the conversation with Gran, Godric and Pam. "Holy fuck Sookie. You're a princess!" She picked up her phone and started typing something.

"Pam, I don't think so. Would a princess have grown up like this? I mean no disrespect Gran, but we didn't live like royalty."

"I'm sorry Sookie that was by design. I refused Fintan's help for fear it would expose you. If Niall or Breandan could track down any resources, be it money or other help, coming our way. I . . . I just couldn't risk it. Desi did what he could discreetly; lord knows he offered to do more. He bought me the fabrics I used for your dresses; he's even the one that bought you the pretty shoes you wore to the prom." She saw Sookie's face change. "Oh, sorry I know that's a bad memory. My point is, don't be mad at any of them for growing up poor. It was just the way it had to be."

"I don't care that I grew up poor, I just won't make the leap to being royalty. I didn't ask for any of this, the telepathy and now the potential danger." She let a breath out. "I guess we have to hope that other fairies don't know about me."

Godric and Eric shared a look across the table. Sookie caught it. "Spill it."

Eric deferred to Godric by nodding. "Mrs. Stackhouse – I mean Gran, Sookie, Jason . . . Niall is likely already aware of your presence."

Sookie scoffed. "In that case, if Fintan and this Niall are aware, where were they for Hadley and me when charming Uncle Bartlett was . . . Well you know."

Jason stiffened. "No, some of us don't know and always wondered."

Eric started to respond to Jason, but Sookie stopped him. "Thank you Eric, but it's a night for sharing, so he should know this secret too." She inhaled and turned to focus on Jason, ignoring the rest of the participants in the room. "Jason, Bartlett molested Hadley and I, actually, Hadley was raped by him as she was older."

Jason closed his eyes to absorb the information for a few moments and the room remained silent. Pam had suspected something given the reaction of Bartlett's name at Thanksgiving, but she was surprised at the revelation. She reached a hand to Sookie's shoulder and squeezed. Finally, Jason's eyes opened and he reached out to Sookie. "If Ida known, I wouldn't've stayed in touch with him all these years. Hell, I woulda killed him."

"I know, but it's the past and I would just like to move on." She returned her focus to Eric. "So you mentioned Niall is aware. Why do you think that? Just how did you already know this information Eric?"

Again, he deferred to Godric. "Sookie, my maker visited Eric and me in Dallas." He decided to share the purpose of the visit with Sookie, hoping it would give her a chuckle in this very burdensome evening. "She came to have words with Eric. You see Sookie, my maker is the oldest vampire known on the earth and she is a seer, actually she is the blind oracle that Alexander the Great consulted." Sookie's eyes widened. "I cannot tell you her whole message to Eric, but she was very upset at Eric for breaking up with you and she quite plainly told him so."

She giggled for a second then stopped. "Wait, why would someone of such power care about that?"

"I warned you she wouldn't let it go if you told her." Eric taunted his maker.

"That is mostly part of what I cannot tell you. But she referred to you as the Brigant girl and that Niall is unable to assist right now. That assistance was in reference to helping Eric out of the hole he dug with you. The comment led us to believe that she had been in communication with Brigant."

Sookie had clearly had enough. "Eric, can we go to Fangtasia so I can get drunk, please?"

He'd been feeling overwhelming emotions through the bond: fear, curiosity, anger, shame, disgust. He tried to combat them with love and reassurance, but it wasn't working. Not hesitating, he picked her up and headed to the front door. "Of course min älskade." He gave a look over his shoulder. "Thalia and Bubba are outside. Pam, Godric, you can join us at the bar or stay and visit."

Godric decided to stay and Pam rose to follow Eric and Sookie.

Once in the car, Pam showed Sookie an image from her Blackberry. "What's this Pam?"

"It's the tiara I just ordered for you."


	38. Awkward

**WOW - my story, Somewhere, made it to the top 10 for public voting in the I Write the Songs contest - so please - go to my profile for the voting and link and VOTE - THEN you can read the chapter below.**

**PLEASE - my husband is begging you because I will be miserable if you don't vote.**

**~mags**

Chapter 37 - Awkward

February 26, 2004

"I almost missed the place." Sookie exclaimed as they pulled into the Fangtasia parking lot. "Oh, and there's Andre's Junker. I'd completely forgotten about him."

"I've been keeping him busy." Pam snickered. "I've had him doing grocery and other shopping in preparation for your return to the area the past two days. His list included tampons, Monistat for a yeast infection and hemorrhoid cream."

Sookie gasped and covered her mouth. "I can't believe you used me to embarrass him, especially when I wasn't even around to see it!"

Pam just burst out laughing. "Hey, I didn't get to see it either since I was with you. And you would've done the same thing if you were in such a position."

"Meh, I would've added cucumbers, KY jelly, and Lice shampoo."

Pam and Eric just stared at Sookie with their mouths open. Pam cursed at the missed opportunity, but finally regained her focus to continue on with the Andre summary. "Wait 'til you see the collection of La Perla he's been stockpiling for you."

They exited the car and walked in the back door. "Where is this stockpile?"

"Your house, yours and Eric's house that is. Well, I guess you need to discuss that." Sookie froze for a moment, thinking about the conversation that was still ahead for her and Eric.

They entered the office and Sookie flinched when Eric barked. "Andre what are you doing in my chair!"

"Northman." Eric glared. "I mean Master. It's good to see you still among us."

"Thanks to my bonded." Andre's eyes grew wide at Eric's statement. "Something to say, Andre?"

"You're giving her credit for saving your life?"

Eric put an arm around Sookie. "I'm sure you heard that she infiltrated the Fellowship of the Sun, gathered evidence for the arrests, and freed me from my silver chains? I'm pretty sure that would be due credit for saving my life. Now, are my area reports done?"

"Yes Master. They just need your review and signature."

"And the reports to human authorities?"

"Finishing them up now."

"We'll be leaving for the night no later than 1AM; I want them done so I can review them at home. You can work in the employee room as I need to catch up on area business. Pam, you're working the door tonight."

Pam nodded and left the room, but Andre stayed. "Yes Master. Her majesty has requested a call."

"Understood." Andre just stood there. "Dismissed."

"The Queen?"

"I'm pretty sure I can call the Queen without you here. Dismissed." They had a short stare down before Andre turned and left the office. Eric settled in his chair, pulling Sookie down with him. "Min älskade, what would you like to drink?"

"Gin and Tonic but I can go out to the bar."

"You're staying here with me, when I go out on stage shortly; you're going with me there. I'm not being separated from you tonight." He hit a buzzer for the bar. "Chow, please have a Gin and Tonic delivered to the office."

"Well, let me at least work on some schoolwork while you catch up on area business." She stood to move across the room but he pulled her back.

"You can start your homework in a minute but no further than the couch." She rolled her eyes at his possessiveness. "No eye rolling either. You spend too much time with Pam."

"Speaking of Pam . . . She ordered a tiara for me? Seriously?"

"I knew that was going to happen as soon as she heard about your lineage. Just pick your battles."

"But she's not going to expect me to wear it, is she?"

He sighed. "If I know Pam, she'll have a dress made for you and commission a portrait or a painting."

"Cheese on Rice! When is all this gonna happen?"

"Per the email confirmation I received already, the Tiara will be here in a few days. It'll arrive here at Fangtasia under guard at night."

"Under guard? How much did she spend?"

"Enough that it's under guard."

"ERIC!"

"SOOKIE?! It won't make a dent and we have so much going on, I . . . I don't want to argue with her."

"That's it. You just don't want to argue with her after all the problems with . . . with our breakup." She felt the resignation that she was right in the bond and had mercy. "I'll leave you alone to do your work. I'll be right over there." She pointed to the couch.

She managed to stand but he held onto her. "You don't want to talk about the discussion with Gran? I figured you were quiet in the car because Pam was there."

She left out a bitter laugh. "Alcide once told me I was a processor, with regards to information that is. Well, this is something that's going to be mulling around for a few days. I may have questions, but I'm not ready to talk it through." She kissed his nose. "But thanks for asking. Now, can you let me go so you can get some area business done?" She tried to move away only to be pulled back by his arms.

"Gimme a kiss before I have to start this crap." She leaned over and pecked him on the mouth. "That hardly counts." He reached up and pulled her down into his lap, just as there was a knock. He told the visitor to enter while she was still on his lap. Probably because this was a new vampire, he felt the surprise in the bond and pulled her closer to whisper. "We're a team. We're stronger together, even the new vampires will learn this." He turned to the vampire in the room. "Chow, this is my bonded companion, Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie, Chow is our new bartender."

"Master, Mistress."

"Thank you for the drink Chow." He bowed to Sookie and left.

Eric turned back to Sookie with half lidded eyes he asked. "Now, where were we?"

"That's a cheesy line . . . I'm doing my homework. You'll get a kiss after you finish some work."

"You're mean."

"And you have a Queen to call."

His response was to growl as she left his lap, but he picked up the phone. "Sheriff Northman for the Queen."

When the Queen got on the phone she gushed. GUSHED. "Eric. I've got some glowing reports from Texas. Seems the Fellowship has all but disbanded."

"That IS good news your Majesty. Though I believe there are still soldiers of the light cells throughout the states."

"Yes, we need to remain vigilant. Eric, your bonded is quite the talk of the vampire community."

He visibly swallowed at that comment and asked. "Your Majesty?"

"Yes, Stan reported her heroic actions while she was kidnapped and the swift work in reading so many of the humans. He also boasted about her identifying a telepath for him."

"Your Majesty, she found the telepath at the hotel. It was in his. . ."

"Eric, I was merely summarizing Stan's comments. It wasn't a reprimand; the telepath was clearly in Texas. But enough about Stan. Florida called me after they heard. They would like to engage you and Sookie for some negotiation work between the vampires and Weres. They would also like to schedule Sookie to read their key pets and companions."

"Both of us for negotiation work? I don't understand."

"Yes, it seems your working relationship with the area Weres and Sookie's universal acceptance of all species has Florida looking for your assistance in building better relations. On top of that, Stan is freely sharing that the Fellowship was ended due to cooperation between vamps, Weres, daemons and humans."

"That's unexpected. Do they have a timeframe?"

"I already told them to prepare to wait. I didn't give them the reason but I know Sookie won't want to leave her Gran anytime soon. They will contact you for details. To be clear, per our contract with Sookie, this out of state work is approved. "

"That's very gracious your Majesty."

"I need to be sure that Sookie is not overstressed."

"Thank you your majesty."

"It's in all our best interests, especially with the summit approaching."

"The summit, what does that have to do with Sookie?"

"I want you to prepare her to attend the Vegas Summit in June."

"Do we have specific meetings planned? What do you mean prepared?"

"I want Sookie at all my meetings, with you of course. For preparation," she paused. "We both know that Sookie is not a pet, but you know damn well that several US Monarchs do not allow the designation of companion and will therefore require proper decorum and paperwork. I'm sure you are aware that Nevada is one of those monarchs."

"Paperwork?"

"Eric, since Nevada doesn't recognize companions, you need to file Sookie as a Pet."

"I'll discuss this with Cataliades. Does a Pet registration supersede a companion registration?"

"Not at all, all three of her contracts can apply at the same time: Pet, Companion and Asset."

"Understood. Do you have anything else for me your Majesty?"

"Not tonight Eric."

"I do have a question for you."

"Go on."

"Your Majesty, I was wondering if Hadley has spoken of possibly visiting Bon Temps? I know Gran is anxious to see her."

He heard Sophie-Anne sigh before she spoke. "I'm surprised you are open to this after the way Hadley treated your Sookie."

He turned to Sookie who looked like a kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She mouthed 'Sorry' but that was all. He chose to ignore whatever had happened between Hadley and Sookie and focused on Gran. "My concern is Gran. While she is happy that Hadley is healthy and still with us, she wants to see her. Is Hadley not interested in a visit with Gran?"

"I think going back to Bon Temps is the problem, but I will talk to her. If she agrees, is it possible we can do that before Andre leaves the area?"

"We're ready anytime Hadley is."

"Understood. Well, I'll leave you to getting back to your area work. I trust Andre has been helpful?"

"Yes, the timing was good." She hung up on him and he turned to Sookie. "We'll talk about Hadley in a second. Did you hear the Florida and Summit parts?"

"Yes. It was hard not to laugh."

"Laugh? I don't understand."

"I'm being hired as a consultant. A barmaid from nowhere Louisiana."

"Don't belittle yourself like that. You have talents worthy of such fascination and want."

She stared at him like he had two heads for a short while; then responded. "Don't you have work to do?"

Knowing he would make no further progress on her opinions about her worth at the moment, he shook his head at her stubbornness and changed subjects. "So, what happened with Hadley, and more importantly, why didn't you tell me?"

"The visit with Hadley was not pleasant. Hadley was and is still selfish. Her concern was that I was there to curry favour with Sophie-Anne. She was so consumed with her jealousy that we barely had time for a visit. She ended the meeting by blaming me, well us, for Andre losing his fangs stating that my kidnapping was nothing of consequence." Eric growled at her words. "And that growling is the exact reason why I didn't tell you while we were still at the palace. I couldn't risk that you wouldn't go after her or say something to the Queen and get yourself in trouble."

"You could have said something when we were at home that night."

"Before you fucked me senseless?" She smirked. "Seriously, it's just my cousin being herself, if we hadn't . . . if you hadn't gone to Dallas . . . I would've gotten around to it."

"Ok."

"I have some questions about that Summit, but can we do that some other time? We already have a ton on our plates tonight since we're finally having our talk."

"Agreed."

"Good. Now you, get to work."

A short while later, Eric startled Sookie from her schoolwork. "Are you ready to go out on the floor?"

She grumbled. "Do I really need to go out?"

"Yes, I've been gone too many weeks and while Pam wants me to make an appearance, I won't do it without you – you know having all the fangbangers thinking I'm available."

She made a show of getting off the couch reluctantly: she sighed and stretched, picked at the lint on her skirt; then after she stood, she started to smooth her hair. At that, Eric grew impatient and swooped her up to carry her out. "ERIC! Put me down."

"No, I think this will ensure the vermin know I'm off the market."

"HMPH!"

"That's all you got?"

"No, I 'GOT' more, but we are just about to the dance floor and I'm not going to yell at you here."

"You're right, thank you." They crossed the floor from the back entrance to the stage. Deciding to do a quick security sweep, Sookie lowered her shields.

_'The master is back.'_

_'Who's the fat chick he's carrying?'_

_'Oh, I want him to bite me so badly.'_

Eric had reached the dais and sat with Sookie in his lap. She was about to protest being placed on his lap when she heard another thought.

_'I can't believe we got in, these IDs were worth the cost.'_

The last one had her curiosity so she concentrated until she found the source. "Pam." She spoke at a normal volume, but she knew Pam could hear. She appeared in front of them seconds later. "The girl with the sequined Fedora, to the right about 3 booths back?" Pam nodded. Her companion is underage, and I'm guessing she is too."

"You can hear them?"

"I can hear both, the companion was just thinking about the fake IDs they got. The Fedora girl is too interested in guessing the size of Eric's cock to think about anything else."

"I'll remove them."

Eric leaned to her neck and gave her a soft kiss. "Thank you Min kära, but you don't need to keep your shields down. I don't want you to get a headache before we go home."

"Just a security sweep. Shields are back up – and that is way easier since we bonded. Did I tell you that?"

"Yes, every time you use them, usually with a huge smile."

"How long do we need to stay here?"

"Not too long, do you hate the fact that you are in my lap?"

"I love sitting on your lap just not here, on display. I can't enjoy it."

"I can." He moved his hips around to prove how much he was enjoying her ass on his lap.

She giggled. "You're bad."

"We've established this."

They left Fangtasia a few hours later, Eric holding the reports completed by Andre for review. Using the bond, Eric kept a bead on Sookie's feelings and what he felt was apprehensive. He knew they were having their talk when they got to the house so he didn't push. Once she was seated in the car, she announced, "I don't have any clothes at home, I mean your house, I mean . . . well we need to discuss that."

"Pam has some new clothes she's purchased for you. We'll talk at home."

Awkward, she just felt awkward at the whole situation and said so. "You know, I've never felt this awkward with you. Pissed off, sad, scared, but this is just painful."

He reached over for her hand. "I know. I just want to move passed this."

"We will."

"It's funny how up until now, I haven't felt funny around you, it's like it's the house, or knowing we have the list of topics to discuss has caused these feelings."

"We've been around so many other people since Dallas; we haven't had a chance to get to this conversation. It's long overdue."

"You're right, we haven't had the chance and it IS long overdue."

"You know, I bet if we'd bought that dating book it would give us instruction for this." Their familiar joke was his attempt to bring levity to the situation.

Giving him the eyeball roll, she responded. "Oh and I'm sure there is a chapter for vampires breaking up with human fiancées and then trying to have a talk about it later."

He parked the car in the garage and he came around the car to get her. "The first night you did this, and I was so damned tired I could barely hoist myself out of your car, but I still wouldn't let you help me out of the car."

"I know, damn stubborn woman."

"And yet, you love me anyway."

They grabbed a snack for Sookie and decided to talk in the den. So they could see each other's faces while they talked, they sat angled beside each other. "I'm just going to ask for what I want Sookie."

"Ok."

"I want you to live here, even though that isn't an obligation for you any longer." Her heart soared at his words. She wanted that too, as soon as Gran was ready. She kind of figured he wanted this based on other comments but his stating it was like a weight had been lifted. Her smile gave away her joy even if Eric hadn't felt it.

"I want that too. I just need to be sure about Gran – that she's stable."

"I understand."

"But you can stay in Bon Temps with us any time or really every day until I can return here."

"I accept that invitation." He leaned over to kiss her. "So this part's done. As soon as Gran is stable, you'll move back."

"Well, I do have two more conditions on that." He quirked his eyebrow. "You Eric Northman are personally moving my stuff back. That you had an army move me out of my home here really pissed me off."

"I know, I'm sorry. I'll move everything back all by myself – but I want to move you into my bedroom, not your room upstairs. Do you agree to that?" She nodded with a wide smile. "Maybe I'll borrow your brother's truck."

She giggled at that. "Oh, I'd pay to see you driving that."

"I'll come up with a proper payment plan for you." He said while licking his lips.

"I'm sure you will. I look forward to hearing your terms." He leaned in to give her a smouldering kiss, then pulled back. "What's your other condition?"

"More dating."

"What? Dating who?"

"Us dating silly. You promised me dancing when you got back. I want to do some other dating things."

"Certainly min älskade. I will continue to woo you indefinitely."

"Well, yes sometimes you woo me, and I want to take you on dates too."

"I would like that very much." He smiled widely at the ideas already going through his head. "Your turn to ask something."

"I didn't know we were taking turns, but that works. I want to talk about children." She finished her snack and moved to sit back all the way on the couch. "I want to explore having children, either through adoption or some other means. But, and I mean this; it's not a deal breaker. I'd rather be with you then leave you for some imaginary family."

He smiled widely. "I'm glad you want children because I've become such a pansy I've found myself wishing for a family with you. And I mean the whole thing: dirty diapers, crying, first steps and first words."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." He wiped away the tear that escaped her eyes from his words. "Should we have your Uncle Des look into adoption or are you leaning towards having your own baby with a donor?"

"If you asked me a year ago . . . well you know, I would say I didn't want kids. Part of me is scared. We have this life in vampire politics." She shook her head. "I can't help it though; I want a family with you." He smiled and moved a strand of hair behind her ear. "Anyway, until recently I wouldn't have wanted to pass on my telepathy. Now, now that I know how it happened, my heritage? I feel like I want to explore having a baby myself. I'm not saying to call the doctor tomorrow, but I think I want to be pregnant."

He leaned over to kiss her. "I'd like that too.

"I'll try not to get too excited about that right now since there are so many variables, so many obstacles for adoption or insemination."

"We'll face those obstacles together."

"I like that, doing it together, back to being a couple."

"Which leads me to my next point, since it's my turn." He reached for her left hand and played with her ring. "I want to plan our pledging. I want to follow-through."

"Yes. I want that too. I've been thinking about it. I just don't know how to go about planning it.

"Pam will help."

"Should I be relieved or worried about that?"

"Yes."

She giggled and responded. "So, I'll start talking to Pam about it tomorrow night. Gran will also want to be involved since it's like my wedding."

"It's not LIKE your wedding Sookie - it IS your wedding, your vampire wedding. I'm not saying we can't do a human wedding someday. Just remember, to me, this makes me your husband and you will be my wife. In fact, I'd like you to take my name even though we would need to have you change your name legally instead of just having it happen as part of a human wedding."

"I want your name. That kinda leads me to the next thing. Do you have more to discuss on the pledging, or can I go on?"

"The floor is yours min älskade."

"I want to discuss equality."

"What do you mean?"

"I know sometimes in vampire situations you are my Master. But other times, at home or with family in general. . ." She paused. "I mean, I want us to be equals, partners."

"I agree Sookie. Actually for the most part, when you are working for vampires we will be equals. The Florida work they requested for example. They want both of us to consult, not just you working under me."

"Ok, but to provide an example, when you left for New Orleans for the Fellowship of the Sun meeting and then had me put on lockdown?"

His face turned a bit grim. "We talked about this already."

She raised her hands to calm him down. "I know, I know. I'm just bringing this in as another example; equals just don't order each other around."

"Ok, fine, I get your point. But Sookie, I've been alone for 1000 years. I'm going to screw this part up sometimes. Like my reaction to the dancing video – instead of discussing it I blew up. I will try to - I don't know – is it count to 10 or something as much as possible, but help me with my reactions as you can. It's going to take more than a few months to undo my behaviour."

"I will remind you constantly when you do something that pisses me off." She paused. "You know. We could have a signal or word to help diffuse these situations."

"Explain."

"Well, say we're in this situation. You're pissing me off for being highhanded, or I'm kinda ignoring the fact that we have a non negotiable situation." He nodded his understanding. "Well, we could have a funny word that can be a signal to back up a minute." She thought of a word from her rant about Eric's high-handedness and giggled to herself. "Like narrow ass."

They laughed together at that suggestion but agreed to think of a word that would work without raising eyebrows if they were with others.

"Since we brought up equality and other vampires, there was a discussion we had about you being in control of your human. We never tested whether you can command me with the bond."

"I have no desire to command you."

"I thank you for that, but I still want to know."

He sighed because he really didn't want to do this. "Sookie. . . "

"Eric, we should at least know."

Though he was not happy he agreed. "I'll go somewhere in the house and call you, we'll start with that."

A few minutes later Sookie shivered. She stayed still for a moment but felt the need to find him, and she did in her old bedroom. "Well, you can call me."

"Yes, but that's the blood wanting to be with the blood. A command is different." They returned to the den and he sent her a command to sit down. Nothing happened and he smiled.

"Did you start?" He nodded. "I didn't even feel a tickle like when you tried to glamour me." She got thoughtful for a moment. "Try harder." He shook his head. "I know you can. I need to know."

"Fine." He sent the command even stronger and she sat as still as she had before. Now he had a huge smile. "I think that's it Sookie. I can't command you and I can't be happier about it."

"Thank you for trying."

She hugged him and returned back to her place on the couch. "So," Sookie started, returning them to the conversation. "To be clear, we'll talk things through at home or rather our personal lives in general?"

"I told you before, there will be some things that will be non negotiable and those will relate to our safety or something with regards to unavoidable vampire politics. Otherwise, we'll be a team, I'll ask for your opinion or maybe you will need mine."

"Ok, that'll work, as long as your clear on something that is non negotiable, and you'll tell me why – even if it's later that you need to do that."

"Yes." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat before speaking further.

"What's up? You seem to want to say something, but you don't at the same time."

"It's one of the non negotiables, well maybe it counts as two."

"Ok, just spit it out."

"Other men."

"We just talked about this."

"No, we talked about my reaction. Let me finish, please?" She nodded. "Pam explained what happened the night you went dancing, I just want to be clear. You can't dance with other men, except maybe your brother and Lala, or if I was there and gave permission, perhaps one of your guards. I just can't have you seen with another man. You know what happened, one of my underlings thought it was worthy of filming. He tried to use the video to get to me."

"I understand. It WAS a mistake, well I thought we were safely at a human bar, but now I know. To be clear though, our being equals and married . . . no other women for you, well except for donors of necessity. I know you CAN per vampire law or whatever appear to be with someone else. I know it doesn't have the impact on you as my being with another man, but I'm just saying. . ."

"Sookie, I will be with no other women, even for just the appearance of being together. AND just to be clear, you have my faithfulness forever."

"I know, thank you. You said two non negotiables. What's the other one?"

"THAT DRESS! It was too short for public. I know Pam gave it to you, but don't wear something like that again in public."

"You ASSHOLE! My CHOICE of clothing is non negotiable? I think I feel a bit of the high handed controlling vampire coming out again. Time for a reminder. . ."

"Sookie, I. . ."

"I wasn't finished you Fucktard! You don't get to control my clothes."

"Sookie, I'm not trying to control all your clothes, I'm asking to draw a line at certain clothing that is unbecoming to the lady that's in there somewhere under that potty mouth." She giggled and the argument went down a notch. "Let me ask you. Did you like wearing that outfit?"

Sookie was quiet for a moment and then shook her head. "I even joked and told Pam the skirt was more like a wide belt; that someone had sold her half a dress."

"So why are we arguing about it?"

"Ok vampire, you didn't win this one – just to be clear. It's only because we have similar taste that we agree on no slutty clothing." She got a wicked smile on her face and he braced himself. "You said that I can't wear something like that in public. Does that mean I can wear something like that for you in private?"

"You are a bad girl. Don't tease me, we have more topics to get through and it's my turn."

"Oh, before we move on. This dress example gave me an idea, we could use 'skirt' or 'short skirt' for our word to stop the high handed, bitchy stuff."

"So in the middle of something, we just blurt out 'skirt'?"

"Yeah, I read about it as a technique for couples. We should also have sign for it."

"And a sign that acknowledges it."

"Huh?"

"So articulate min älskade." She scowled. "I mean, if you make the sign for skirt then I can make a sign saying – 'gotcha' even if we can't change the discussion. We just agree to talk later about it." When she still seemed confused he added, "in case we are in front of other vampires or something and we need to put on the appearance that you obeyed."

"Ok, I get it."

"Does that cover that topic?" She nodded. "Now, back to it being my turn. . . "

"Yes sir, I have one more after you're done."

"Then let's finish this discussion quickly and we can move onto consummating our accords."

"By all means. What's your topic?"

"Finances."

She cringed. "You think this can be fast?"

He nodded and kept to himself that it would be fast because it was about to be another non negotiable if she put up too much of a fight. "With the settlement from Bill and Lorena, and the money you earn with your telepathy, you can be independent, I get that."

"Damn right." She was getting agitated a bit.

"Let me ask you about a scenario for example." She nodded. "A man making a simple wage as a teacher marries a wealthy woman. She chooses to keep their accounts separate: buying fancy cars and clothes while he struggles with a used old vehicle. Would that be right?"

"Many couples do keep finances separate. . ."

"I know, but I'm asking if YOU think that would be right? What if our situations were reversed, would you keep your money to yourself?" She was silent but staring at him as he spoke. "I'm asking that we just combine everything. Your accounts and my accounts all moved into our accounts."

"Eric, I've only just gotten some money to do what I want. I enjoy the fact that I earned it and can buy people things."

"And how does combining our accounts stop that? I'm not asking you to just spend money in my account; I'm asking that we have OUR accounts. I'm not asking you to stop working and earning."

"I know you would prefer that though."

"Oh I certainly would, but it's too late. Your gift makes that impossible now that so many know about it. The fact remains; you will still work and can add to a combined account." When he could see she still had her fur up a bit he asked again. "You never answered my question. If you had the bulk of the wealth between us, would you keep it to yourself, or would you want to share it with your husband?"

"I would share it with you, my husband and you know it. I hate when you make sense. For the moment though, your logic is flawed; you do realize that we aren't pledged yet."

"We can wait until we complete the pledging and your name has been legally changed if you want. I won't wait any longer than that." He put his hand out. "Do we have an agreement?"

"We do." She reached out with her hand to shake and he grasped it and pulled her to his lap and she giggled.

"And your final item?"

"My lineage. Is it a problem?"

"Not to me my little fairy. I'm guessing there could be fallout. Vampires and Fairies aren't supposed to mix."

"Why is that?"

"A full fairy would be intoxicating to a vampire. I might be able to refrain, but younger vampires would drain a full fairy immediately. The draw to the taste and the feeling after a feeding would be too much to resist."

"Is that why you love my blood?"

"You're sweet, but you don't taste like a fairy. I'm more concerned about a visit from Niall, your great grandfather. Our paths have crossed before, favorably at least. But marrying his great granddaughter could be too much for him."

"Well, he can go to hell. He isn't part of my life so he gets no say."

"Glad to hear it, but just be aware he could try to cause problems."

"Let him try."

He smiled at her feistiness. "We also need to learn more about the fairy civil war related to hybrids so we can prepare and protect you and our children."

"Agreed. I like that by the way, our children."

"Me too." He nuzzled her neck. "Did you have other concerns?"

"Again related to my lineage." He nodded. "Will it affect my ability to be turned when we're ready?"

He didn't bother with the answer tight away: He had the same emotional reaction to her statement as he'd had when she first told him her decision.

"Eric, you're suffocating me again." He calmed himself. "I don't think there will be any problems but we can do some research. Is there anything else for tonight? I mean, you talking about being turned . . . I really want to celebrate now."

"Not now. I want to learn more about being a fairy, but not tonight."

His hands started making their way up her shirt. "So, are we ready to move onto the more pleasurable part of our night?"

"You bet. I want to go see all the La Perla that Andre has been buying."

"Are you modeling?"

"If that's what you want."

"Oh, I want."

They only got through the first outfit.

OOOoooOOOooo

The next night he began the preparations for Sookie's attendance at the Vegas Summit. Cataliades filed her pet paperwork and they already had it back from the queen with her stamp. Tonight, he was giving Sookie a lesson in very different monarchies. A large map of the US was up on the wall at Fangtasia to review the regions and rulers. "So now that we've covered our immediate area and for the most part the monarchs that serve as allies, let's cover the others starting with our Summit hosts: Felipe DeCastro and Freyda."

"Ok, they're pledged?"

"Yes, since about 1970. They run. . . "

"Wait, why did I feel such disgust from you?"

A scowl formed on his lips. "Freyda. She tried for about a decade to form a pledge with me."

Sookie looked down. "You dated her for a decade? I thought you never had a relationship."

"Wha. . .? No, nothing like that. She was the Queen of Oklahoma and Colorado; she took over for her maker before when he tired of the crown. He didn't want to rule, but he stayed to offer protection since she was so young for a Queen. His plan was to help her pledge to a stronger, older vampire so he could enjoy his retirement. When I didn't work out, they started looking elsewhere. He was killed shortly after they gave up on me and Freyda quickly negotiated with Felipe since she was so vulnerable. Some believe Felipe had her maker killed so she would panic and she agreed to a pretty crappy contract. So you see, she wanted my protection; there was nothing romantic about her pursuit. In fact, it was mostly fighting and tantrum throwing because I had no desire to agree." He laughed. "She was quite pathetic with her begging."

"Why didn't she try to get Godric? Since he is so much older and stronger."

"Everyone knows he's too wealthy to be enticed into anything. She didn't realize I was in the same financial position since I am his child. Our relationship is known by some, but it's not general knowledge."

"So she pledged to Felipe in a hurry."

"Yes, and since he'd taken over several other states, this gave him a very large territory. Together they rule: Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Utah, but Utah is in name only, there are no vampires in the state. Nevada, Colorado and Arizona are all quite lucrative states due to the travel industry. Similar to Louisiana, well mostly New Orleans. Therefore, those states have many vampires residents. Felipe is quite wealthy. He is also quite antiquated with his beliefs. He believes humans to be only a food source and it's rumored he kidnaps and keeps unwilling donors. This is why the Queen wants you prepared. He can be ruthless, and his beliefs have transferred to his state's governances for vampires. He does not believe in companions or humans pledging with vampires. He will be looking for opportunities to persuade you to stay with him or possibly take you. We must be diligent."

"Why would he know about me? Why do I need to go at all then?"

"Sookie, you're a hero with the Fellowship incident. It won't take long for Felipe to learn more about you. Why go at all? Well, if we kept you hidden, it would show our fear and Felipe will see that as an opportunity."

"Why is he allowed to operate like that?"

"There is nothing in place to oversee each of the monarchs." He pointed to the Great Lakes area on the map. "This is another concern: Queen Santhi who governs the Great Lakes Region. She operates much like Felipe. She will be in attendance I'm sure, but will be powerless to do anything drastic outside her region."

"OK, so we've got Felipe/Freyda concerns and Santhi radar. Is that it?"

"One more region: New England. Again, the king there, King Carlos Huerta, is another Felipe clone. In fact, there are rumors that they are connected via a maker at some point in their bloodline."

"Those are all the baddies then?"

"These are the problems in the US, our immediate concern." He pulled out more information for her to review. "These are the 'rules and behaviors for pets'. You'll need to internalize these before we go to Vegas so you can put on a proper show."

"Ok, I'll start reviewing these while you do your Sheriff work."

"No stomping, yelling or whining?"

"Nope, I know it's for show only."

He smiled widely then kissed her forehead. "That's my girl."

OOOoooOOOooo

The next week they were back at Fangtasia having arrived from home together for the first time since Sookie moved back to Shreveport. Sookie's Gran was doing better every day and had insisted that Sookie move back home since she still had the physical therapist, three nurses, Thalia, Bubba and Were guards providing round the clock coverage. The move out was for the best since Sookie was still struggling with the information about Gran's affair. The pedestal on which her Gran had been firmly planted was cracked and Sookie was angry, sad, and confused all at once. She still loved her Gran, that wasn't in doubt, but the information had rocked her and they needed time apart, or rather Sookie needed some distance right now. As promised, Eric spent the prior Sunday and Monday personally packing, moving, and then unpacking Sookie's belongings back at his house using a van from Alcide's construction company to complete the task in one trip.

While they drove to Fangtasia, Sookie thought about Eric's surprise from the night before. For their first full night at home, Eric introduced Sookie to a new activity for their nights off: He cooked a full dinner for her. He'd been cooking simple meals and reheating prepared items, but this was Chicken Marsala with rice and steamed broccoli – all from scratch. When Sookie questioned him he explained that he'd hired a chef to teach him to cook while he was in Dallas. He apologized that he didn't get in too many lessons due to working around the Fellowship of the Sun meetings, but he got to the basics and planned to experiment on the nights they weren't at Fangtasia or on a date by cooking for Sookie. While they walked to the door, she smiled at the memory and sent waves of happiness and joy to him through the bond.

Pam greeted them as they walked into the office. "Well well well, I like Sookie being back home in Shreveport. You made it before opening tonight. That's almost a miracle. Will you actually stay the entire night too?"

Eric raised an eyebrow at her and changed the subject. "Did Godric get on his plane as planned?"

Pam knew the time for snarky comments was over. "Yes, he called to confirm just before the departure." She turned to Sookie. "Have you been working on preparing for the Summit?"

Sookie rolled her eyes. "Yes Pam. Most of it I already know, it's just practicing so the behaviors are second nature. Did you hear now that I'm doing a presentation? A PRESENTATION!"

"Sookie," Eric reminded her, "We're presenting together; you're not on your own."

"What's your topic?"

"Interspecies relations."

"Wow! Well, you've risen to every occasion, you'll be fine."

"Thanks Pam." She gave Eric a kiss. "I'm going to start my homework; you need to call the Queen to plan Hadley's arrival and you have some Sheriff work to do."

"Yes, then we'll spend time on the floor."

"Greeeaat. Really looking forward to that."

He sat at his desk and dialed the Queen. "Sheriff Northman for the Queen."

"Eric. I trust you are calling to discuss Hadley's visit?"

"Yes your Majesty."

"I have spoken to Hadley, and she will arrive next Sunday and then return with Andre Tuesday at sunset since his 38 nights will be up. You and Godric will be in attendance at Adele's?"

"I will be in attendance for the reunion, my maker has returned to Dallas. As we discussed, Andre will be at Adele's as well." He hesitated then continued. "You have spoken to Andre about Adele and . . ." He paused. "Politeness?"

"You carefully put that question together. He has been told several times to not be himself around Adele and to behave like a civil human being. He has also been told that you will report any problems directly to me."

"Thank you your Majesty."

"I'll have the plane fly them home if you want to join them and be here for the release of Bill and Lorena."

"This timing will work well, Sookie and I don't go to Fangtasia on Sunday and the bar is closed Monday, enabling Sookie to spend time at Gran's with Hadley for daytime visits. As for Bill and Lorena," He turned to capture Sookie's gaze and she nodded. "I had planned to arrive at the palace tomorrow so I can enjoy some final time with them. I can change my plans to arrive on Thursday so I'll be able to escort Hadley back at first dark on Saturday if you want and if she's willing to change her days. I'll need to head directly to Fangtasia though since Saturday is our busiest night."

"That will save me resources for her travel. I was thinking of sending Sigebert." Eric cringed at the thought of having one of the Berts in the area. "Thank you Eric, I'll have the plane in Shreveport at first dark on Thursday."

"Excellent your Majesty, I will see you when I arrive."

After completing the call to the Queen, he opened his computer to begin reviewing his sheriff emails. Having Sookie in the office was too much of a distraction though, since he and Sookie spent time doing some final unpacking of her clothes after he rose, rather than other more pleasurable activities.

"Eric, I can't get my homework done this way."

"What way?" He looked over his laptop at her with his 'innocent look'.

"Should I go work in the employee room?"

His face changed to almost a panicked look. "NO, don't leave."

"Well, I can't stay with you sending me lust every minute." She got up and walked to him at his desk, and he spun his chair to the side motioning for her to sit on his lap. Instead of getting on his lap, she went to her knees and grabbed his belt buckle.

"Sookie you don't need to. . ."

"Oh you need it; we shouldn't have left the house before addressing this." She nodded to his growing cock. His hands went right to her hair when she took him in her mouth. With his instruction, she had become quite talented with her mouth and he relaxed into her attentions. The scent of her arousal filled the room and he planned on returning the favor in a moment - if she let him do that in the office. Thinking about her taste while she had him down his throat had him giving in quickly and he came with a roar. Now she climbed into his lap to seal the deal with a kiss.

"Get on the desk."

"No, I can wait. Besides, someone could come in."

At vampire speed, he ran and locked the door, moved his laptop to the side and then put her on the desk, her butt at the edge. "Please, I've wanted you here for so long; the room is soundproof remember." There he went, begging for something from Sookie. He didn't care and in fact added his pouty face to push her over the edge.

"O . . . Ok."

"These panties," He ripped, "are in the way."

"ERIC! I can't be on the dance floor without underwear."

"I have extras for you. Now, no more talking unless you're screaming my name." She giggled until he took his first swipe with his tongue; then only moaned or called out Eric's name, completely lost to the sensations for several minutes. Trying to get her attention, he called out "Sookie." He was staring at her. "Sookie, look at me." Her eyes shot open and looked into his. "Pull your dress straps down and play with your breasts for me." She looked around as if nervous to do so in his office so he encouraged her. "Come on pretty girl, do it for me." She complied much to his pleasure. "So beautiful when you touch yourself.

After a few more minutes of his attentions, she whimpered out "Eric, I want you."

Never one to deny his love anything, he rose and plunged in, enjoying that his office sex with Sookie fantasy was finally coming true. The desk creaked from the force of his thrusts, but he carried on while she continued to touch her breasts as he'd asked. He never tired of the way she looked while in the throes of passion: Hair wild, lips swollen, especially so because of sucking him off first and that beautiful rose color that extended from her cheeks and down her chest. "Cum with me Sookie" he ordered while he added a hand to her sex to bring her along. They both came and he collapsed on the desk.

When she'd calmed down she asked him "Can you focus on work now so I can get my homework done?"

"Yes dear."

OOOoooOOOooo

"It's time to get on the floor. We don't need to be out there long, it's not that busy."

"Ok."

The usual thoughts about Sookie occurred when they approached the dais and she took position on his lap. At this point, she was getting pretty accustomed to what Eric's fans thought about her, but it was the comments about what they wanted to do with and to Eric that still pissed her off. Feeling her anger has him curious. "What's got you so angry there?"

"Hmph," she grumbled. "Pick any one of them – the blond that wants your cock, the red head that hopes you will turn her. There's more, but it's all pretty much the same."

"Shields up then."

"I'm doing a security check first, then I'll put them up – let me finish."

They sat quietly for a few minutes before Sookie stiffened. Eric looked in the direction of Sookie's gaze and saw Yvetta approaching the dais. As soon as she was within earshot, he spoke. "Whore, you've been fired, what are you doing here?"

"I'm a paying customer. I have a right to be here."

"I have the right to throw out any customer I want and right now, that means you."

"You could probably throw me out, but it would take too long to remove her fat ass off your lap."

Sookie had had enough. "That's it bitch. I'll throw you out myself." She rose and started to take off her shoes.

"Sookie." Eric started.

"I can handle this; Potts has trained me." She whispered to him.

He didn't want to let her go, but he knew she needed to fight this battle. "I will step in only if needed."

She smiled, "Thank you." She turned to Yvetta. "Prepare yourself, you're going down."

"I don't think so, cunt."

"I don't like that word." And with that, Sookie jumped from the dais with her leg extended, landing the first blow into Yvetta's stomach. Yvetta fell backwards, but righted herself quickly. She charged at Sookie, now on the dance floor, spun her around and grabbed her hair. It hurt, but Sookie managed to withstand it. "Hair pulling?" She gritted out. "That's all you got?" Instead of resisting the pull, she pushed back into it and knocked Yvetta over. With Yvetta holding her hair, Sookie went over too, landing on top of her. Yvetta immediately started clawing at Sookie: her arms, her face, her neck. Eric was about to step in but Sookie managed to spin around so she was straddling Yvetta and she landed several blows to her face. When she felt Yvetta had weakened, she stood, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her to the door.

She looked up at Maxwell, some trickles of blood falling from the cuts on her arms and face, "See that she is blacklisted from Fangtasia, please."

"My pleasure Mistress." He reached down and grabbed Yvetta and removed her from the building.

Eric met her at the door. Sookie recognized the look immediately. He was horny, almost bordering on his bloodlust state. In fact, most of the vampires in the room were in the same condition and were quickly finding a feed and fuck for the evening. "Office?" She asked. Before he even answered, she was thrown over his shoulder and moved vampire quick to the office.

"THAT was hot Sookie. Now you need my blood for those cuts; then I'm taking you again on my desk."

"Good thing we already tested the desks strength."

"Indeed."


	39. Couple of Good Points

**Hi all:**

**I'm swamped for a few days – so enjoy this. I don't anticipate another chapter for about a week. I'm kinda ready for school to start. Camping, gymnastics, I have a neglected garden AND readers. At least I'm not leaving you with a cliffy.**

**Did you vote yet for I Write the Songs? Be sure to (I have an entry there). The link (Now corrected) is on my profile or just search in fanfic for Iwritethesongs:**

Chapter 38 – Couple of Good Points

March 7, 2013

"So I guess Sookie is pretty proud of herself for single handedly bringing down the Fellowship of the Sun." Hadley's words were snarky and frankly disrespectful to one of state Sheriffs – even if she was bonded to the Queen.

Hadley and Eric were on the plane back from New Orleans. He was stuck with her for the duration of the flight and he was currently chastising himself for volunteering to be an escort.

Feeling that he was being baited into an argument, Eric replied to Hadley choosing his words and tone carefully. "She SHOULD be proud but I'm sure you know how modest she is about her gift and really, she is mostly happy that we escaped. While she is relieved the Fellowship is no more, she does not take credit nor does she believe we can relax. Unfortunately, there are too many who still carry the beliefs from the Fellowship and she believes we need to remain vigilant."

"Oh, she thinks 'WE' must remain vigilant? She's planning strategy for vampires now?"

Again, he fought for control in his response. "Of course she is, as I am sure your bonded, my Queen involves you." He knew damn well Hadley was involved in nothing. The Queen pampered and favored her, but she was certainly not included in matters of state. He hoped her desire to keep the fact that she was not Sookie's equal would end her attitude and comments. He was wrong.

It took her a few minutes to start up again, but she did. "So her crazy brain is why you two are together? I mean, I've heard about your reputation from the donor pool and I know your lily white Sookie. She can't possibly hold your interest."

The temptation to respond by saying he was going to 'tell Gran on her' was growing on him, but he was pretty sure at 1000 years dead that wouldn't be the most mature response. He found he couldn't help himself. "As mesmerizing as this conversation is Hadley, I regret that I have some work to complete before we land. I look forward to continuing this conversation tomorrow night with your Gran." There, he said it – maybe he didn't say he was going to tell on her but it was implied. If Gran scared HIM, he hoped the threat would work on Hadley.

It did work and he enjoyed quiet for the remainder of the flight while he worked on his laptop.

Thalia greeted them at the airport where Eric's car had also been delivered earlier. "I am here to escort Miss Dalehoussaye to Gran's. Andre is at Fangtasia completing his final tasks before he is released. He will need a ride to Gran's with you after close."

"That's why the SUV is here I guess." Thalia nodded. "Pam was also planning to spend the day at Gran's – our daychamber will be a bit full I fear."

"Alcide has started work on Tara, he's already built a small outbuilding, a cottage, which includes a light tight chamber, it's not fully decorated but it's secure."

"That's excellent news Thalia."

Hadley interjected with a guffaw. "Work on Tara? Don't tell me she's getting that house she always whined about when she was young."

Thalia looked at Hadley coldly. "If you are referring to my Mistress and the home she and the Master are building, then I will confirm it is based on the mansion residing on the plantation called Tara from the movie Gone With the Wind." She leaned in a little closer to Hadley to continue. "You will do well to remember that Mistress Sookie is well liked and respected in this area so you may want to choose your comments wisely little girl."

"ERIC, are you going to let her speak to me like that?"

"I think she is giving you good advice. I suggest you take it."

"I can speak to and about my cousin however I choose. Sookie's just playing you - likely for your money. Maybe you should consider my words as advice to you."

His patience was now gone. "Hadley, I have a commitment from my Queen, your bonded, that you will behave while you are here. That includes speaking poorly to or about Sookie. I know I can't control your thoughts, but I will know if Sookie has been made upset and I will ensure she tells me if you are to blame. Keep that in mind while you are at your Gran's."

"So you would beat Sookie to get her tell on me?"

He sighed; his frustration with this one human had him reaching the limits of his patience and that impossible vampire headache made an appearance. Excedrine was something he really needed to try. "Not that it's any of your business, but Sookie has NEVER needed punishment. Can you say the same?" He glared at her for a moment. "Ensuring she tells me would be simply because of the bond; I'll know if she is hurt and then hiding the source of the hurt. She knows this and as a result will speak the truth. That goes both ways for us, we both speak the truth to each other - so it's NOT a punishment." He headed to his car. "Thalia take her away before I lose all my patience and I'll need you to monitor her visit with Gran and Sookie. Feel free to report any problems with her OR Andre."

"Yes Master." She took Hadley's arm. "Shall we?"

OOOoooOOOooo

"Hadley, come over here so I can see you!" Gran yelled to Hadley before she'd even finished walking through the door.

"Gran. It's good to see you."

"Hadley, Sookie was right, you do look wonderful, so healthy. A little thin, but we'll get some extra biscuits in you while you visit."

"Gran, that's not necessary, I don't want to get fat." She said as she eyed Sookie; a move that Gran didn't miss.

"Tell me about your vampire. Eric treats Sookie like a Princess; does Queen Sophie-Anne do the same?

"Oh of course we have a great relationship." She was lying; Sophie-Anne treated her well when she had time for her, but she was often left on her own since Sophie-Anne was just too busy. '_I know Sophie-Anne loves me, I can feel it in the bond, but she's too busy to spend much time with me; and she sure isn't monogamous. On top of that, because of my companion status, I can't have any other friends. The donors don't like me, the other vampires aren't allowed around me. Shit, it's lonely at the palace, I wish I had Hunter'_.

Sookie heard every thought and while she didn't like Hadley, she couldn't help but feel for her cousin. Knowing her cousin, if she let on that she'd heard, Hadley would just become defensive so she kept the information to herself. She did want to know about Hunter, but she'd save that for a time she could speak to Hadley alone.

Gran, however, had no idea that Hadley had lied, so she pushed. "So tell me about Hadley. I know she's a queen and I'm sure she's busy, but tell me more about your relationship. What you both do together. Do you have similar interests, like Eric and Sookie love to read together and gardening?"

Hadley panicked and Sookie could tell. "Gran, give Hadley a chance to visit with us. I'm sure she wants to know about your recovery." She tried to break the tension. "Besides, you know Eric likes to enjoy the garden after the hard work is over."

The conversation turned to Gran and her recovery. Sookie was glad this topic was less stressful for Hadley. Since they were enjoying their catch-up, she stayed in the kitchen while Hadley walked Gran around the farmhouse. Gran was in the middle of describing the changes Eric had made to the house when Sookie joined them in the living room. ". . .and all the rehabilitation bars you see in the hallway."

"Wow Gran that's great. Eric sure has spoiled you. I guess Sookie's gift has been very valuable to him for him to spend this much on the house."

Appalled, Gran yelled. "HADLEY! Where do you come off saying something like that? Nothing could be further from the truth. Eric wishes Sookie didn't have her gift." Hadley snorted. "That's the truth girl. He's been caring for and spoiling us since the fall – before he ever knew about her telepathy. What is wrong with you? You'd think you'd be. . ."

"Hadley, look at you!" Jason came running into the living room."

Hadley smiled brightly at Jason; he'd always been a good friend. "Jase! I'm glad you came for the visit."

"You bet. I was planning to stay the night. Maybe light a fire and have a campout in the living room like we did when we were kids."

"That sounds good." Sookie heard her think '_hope he doesn't mean Sookie too. That would ruin the fun.' _

Again, having mercy Sookie gave her the out. "That sounds nice for the two of you. Tell me what I can get for your campout, I'll run out for you before Eric gets here. We're planning to spend time at the construction site up the hill so I won't be able to join you."

She got the expected fake response. "Oh, Sookie, that's a shame. But we'll visit tomorrow."

Jason ignored the part about Sookie not joining them and asked her to get beer and pretzels. "Oh, and can ya make us some wings? Will ya have time for that?"

"Sure Jas, it'll be a few hours before Eric gets here. I'll get a guard and head to the store."

"Thanks Sookie." Hadley put on a fake smile; then turned to Jason. "Hey, show me your fancy truck."

When they left Gran turned to Sookie. "What's going on in that head of hers?"

"She didn't want me at the campout, there's more, but let's not talk about it now. I really just want you to enjoy your visit with Hadley. I mean, she's so healthy, we haven't seen her like this in years."

"I really hope she's happy."

Lying to Gran wasn't something Sookie wanted to do, so she ignored the part about Hadley's happiness and commented on her errand. "Well, I better grab a guard to head out for their stuff."

"That's very kind Sookie. What will you and Eric do while they have their campout?"

"I'll have to talk to him. I'm not even sure where we can go since we have a full house tonight. In addition to Thalia, we have Pam, Eric and Andre staying here."

"Can't say I'm looking forward to meeting Andre."

"Can't convince you otherwise." They both chuckled and Sookie headed out.

"Thalia?"

"I am here mistress."

"Who's here if you leave?"

"Bubba and Indira. Do you need something?"

"I need to run to the grocery store."

"I'll stay with Hadley and Indira can run out with you."

Sookie returned a short while later and got to cooking for her brother and cousin. She really didn't mind missing the campout since Eric had been gone for a few days and she was looking forward to time alone with him. The problem was WHERE they could have time alone. Once the wings were in the oven, she ran outside to check out the new cottage. She'd heard it was structurally complete, but not decorated. Maybe she could make it comfortable for a rendezvous with Eric.

"Indira, I'm walking up to the other property."

"Right behind you."

She was surprised to see the building looking done, at least from the outside. On the inside, she was expecting drywall with mud, but it was actually fully painted, and as the bathroom door was open she could easily see the tile was already installed. She was also very happy to see that the bathroom appeared complete – and just to be sure she flushed the toilet. Lights had been installed and there was a small table and chairs in one corner. Floor plans were laid out on the table so she suspected that this building was done first so Alcide and his team could use it as a project room for the mansion. She knew there was a light tight chamber below the building but she didn't know where the access was. Certain Eric would know, she returned to the farmhouse to check the wings and gather some pillows and blankets to make a temporary nest for later.

"Sook, your phone beeped while you were out. Those wings done yet?"

"I'm checking them now Jason, can you bring me my phone?"

Her smile was bright a few minutes later when she ran a platter of wings out to the living room. "What's got you all smiley?"

"They're on their way home. I'm packing a bag to stay next door."

She was so eager to see Eric she sat on the porch swing waiting for them. When the car stopped, she launched herself from the porch as Eric ran out of the car. He scooped her up and gave her a blazing kiss. "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

Hadley had stepped out of the house and noticed the enthusiastic welcome. Sookie started to hear her thoughts and since they were of a jealous and unpleasant nature she closed her mind off immediately. She'd heard enough nastiness from Hadley's mind already. "Eric, I have a bag on the porch, we'll be up at the new cottage. I was hoping Thalia, Andre and Pam could stay in the chamber under the farmhouse?" She looked around. "Wait, where's Pam?"

"She found a date. Thalia, you will show Andre to the chamber at dawn."

"Yes Master. Enjoy the remainder of the night."

"Come min älskade." He leaned into her ear to whisper. "I haven't had you since Thursday."

Once sated from their reunion and snuggling comfortably on the pallet Sookie made from blankets and pillows, Eric inquired about the visit with Hadley so far. "She's lonely. I mean, she's nasty too. It gets worse when Gran mentions you and me, our relationship I mean. But it's kinda sad. She knows Sophie-Anne cares for her, but they don't have the relationship or the companionship we have."

"Most relationships with vampires are not like ours is."

"That's sad." He nuzzled her neck for a few moments enjoying the fact that he did have something so wonderful with Sookie.

"Not that I'm not thrilled, but why didn't you stay with them at the farmhouse for this campout that Hadley was mentioning to Andre?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "She didn't want me there. Worked out for the best since I would rather be with you." She moved to kiss him to emphasize the point.

"Do you want to go home tomorrow, you know, not be here with her? I can even fly us back now if you want."

"No, I need private time with her tomorrow. She thought something about someone named Hunter and I really want to find out what that was all about."

He gave her a nod in agreement with her plan; then changed the subject. "How are things with Gran?"

"Getting better now that the shock is wearing off. I can still get myself riled up at the years of lies though."

"You can get riled up?"

"Hey, you've known that I have a temper since day 1."

"Yes, but we'll need to work on that a bit, I can't have a new vampire running around that can get that easily riled. Imagine the damage you could do with fangs." He constantly added comments about Sookie's turning to their chats so she could better acclimate to her decision.

"We have time, babies – remember."

"How can I forget that? Pam has already started looking at nursery themes."

"SHE IS NOT! The pressure to get pregnant once we start trying could hinder us. Please tell her to stop."

"I will. I hadn't thought about her enthusiasm as being pressure."

"Thank you." Taking a sip from her wine, she asked, "tell me about your final hours with the prisoners."

"I thought you didn't want to know about such things."

"Not the details silly, but do you feel satisfied?"

"Honestly, no. I feel that they should have been killed, but the Queen needs Compton for some database he's writing about Vampires. She wants to sell it at the Summit. Lorena will be banished from the state, but to me, that leaves her as a risk."

"I don't like that, but surely nobody would go after a protected asset of yours, one that has the Queen's stamp of approval - even someone from another state."

"You just stated your contract designation without a feeling of disgust, are you reconciled to your status in the vampire world?"

"Not me, never." He chuckled at her answer.

"The risk should be very low of anyone going against the asset of another state, but there is always a risk."

"There are risks everywhere, but knowing Lorena is one of them can be a benefit."

"How do you figure that?"

"Well, can't you, I don't know have her followed? At least from a state to state or maybe city perspective. At least know where she is? We know we're going to Nevada in June. Perhaps just keep a check to see if she's even in that state."

"Your sexy when you're smart; that's something I will do my little strategist."

"Hmm, little? I doubt that. Now that I'm back in Shreveport Pam has those pastries delivered every damn day."

"You lost weight while I was in Dallas; I don't like that."

"I've said it before; you're good for girls' egos."

"I only care about your ego min älskade." They stayed jumbled together on the pallet for several moments, just enjoying each other's presence and the light caresses they were sharing. "I'm surprised you aren't more tired."

"Trying to get rid of me by putting me to sleep?"

"No, I just know you. You probably spent much of the days while I was in New Orleans awake with your Gran." He shifted so she was below him, her head cradled in his arm while he was off to the side.

"I did. But I napped today. I have plenty of energy."

"Oh really?" He punctuated his comment by moving a hand between her thighs to play with her sex.

"Yes, but we should move our little pallet downstairs in case the dawn sneaks up on us."

"Planning to keep me that preoccupied?

"Oh yes."

OOOoooOOOooo

'_Ok_,' Sookie thought. '_Gran's taking her nap so now I can have that chat with Hadley_.'

"Hadley, can we talk about something?"

Hadley answered with suspicion. "If you want."

"Look Hadley, I heard you when you answered Gran yesterday. I know you know Sophie-Anne cares about you, but I also heard that you're lonely." Hadley stiffened at having her innermost thoughts exposed.

"That's none of your. . ."

Her hands went up trying to keep the peace. "I know it's not my business, but I'm trying to help here. I also know you don't like me much, but there's no reason why we can't repair that, maybe try to talk on the phone regularly? Try to take away some of the loneliness?" Sookie could hear her cousin's thoughts calming and accepting what Sookie was saying. "Listen Hadley, in many ways we're different but honestly we're actually more alike. I think we both could get something out of moving past our, well our past." She grasped Hadley's hand across the kitchen table where they were seated. "Whaddya think?"

Hadley was quiet for a while as she worked through Sookie's words in her head. Finally, she responded favorably. "I think I want to try. Thanks Sook." She smiled then it changed to a bit of a frown. "You know, I've got a lot of baggage, I mean, I'm not that easy to get along with."

"I know, but we'll both try. I'll try to not get offended if you try to hold your tongue?"

Hadley put her hand out to shake. "I agree."

"There's something else." Hadley nodded for her to continue. "Hadley, who's Hunter?" Sookie couldn't believe what she heard as tears formed in Hadley's eyes. "A child? You had a child?"

"I did Sookie." She wiped her eyes. "He's three years old and lives with my ex-husband Remy Savoy. I only get to see him occasionally." She stared out the window few minutes then finally back to Sookie. "Sookie, I'm pretty sure he's . . . I think he's like you."

"Hadley! Does anyone know?"

"Sophie-Anne, probably Andre."

"Is he protected?"

"No, we figured if nobody knew he didn't need protection."

"Well, I'll tell Eric, but the secret will stay with us, and if Remy needs any help with Hunter, tell him to reach out to me."

"I appreciate it. He does need it so I'll call him right away."

"What about Gran?"

"Gran?"

"Gran would be over the moon to have a great-grandbaby. You should tell her."

"I don't know Sook. . ."

"You've been gone but you're part of this family. We're all here for each other and now that includes Hunter."

"You're probably right but I need to think about that. I'll call Remy though while Gran is napping."

She went to the porch to make the call and came back almost an hour later with her face swollen from crying. "You OK?"

"Yeah. Even though Remy and I divorced he's still been really good about shared parenting. Anyway, I told him about our chat and he would really like your help. He also believes I should share Hunter with everyone." As she took a breath, her eyes darted around indicating her nervousness. "I . . . I invited them for dinner tonight."

"Hadley, that's so exiting! I can't wait to meet him."

"Really? It's OK? I mean, I'm scared and excited at the same time."

"It's perfect Hadley. . . . What time? The vampires won't be out of their light tight shelters until about 6PM. Does Hunter need to eat early? If so, I'll need to start dinner."

"I told them dinner at 6:30, wouldn't we need to cook anyway?"

"Oh, it's Eric's night to cook; he cooks dinner when we don't go to Fangtasia."

"He . . . he cooks? He would've cooked in front of Andre and the other vampires that are here to guard?" Hadley's pitch rose as she spoke.

Sookie smiled. "Yep. He took lessons so he could cook for me. As for the perception with other vampires, honestly he rules his territory fairly but firmly, he takes threats to those under his protection fiercely, but he doesn't hide his affection for us, I mean the whole family."

"Jesus Sook, how can I not be jealous?"

"You can't compare the life of a Queen to one of her Sheriffs. They're different. As long as you care for Sophie-Anne, that's what matters. You do, right?"

"Yes, I do. She saved me from myself Sookie. She just doesn't have the time to spend with me like Eric does. I also can't believe that you stay with Eric in his daychamber. That's pretty much unheard of with vampires."

"I know it's a huge amount of trust but the extra time is beneficial to the relationship. Eric is so old he rises pretty early and rests later than most vampires. He just can't leave the light tight chamber."

"That's huge Sookie."

Wanting to steer the conversation away from topics that caused Hadley to be jealous, Sookie suggested they start dinner. "Will Hunter like Chicken Parmesan?"

"Yeah, he's not picky."

They cooked side by side and had the tray of chicken ready for the oven and the prepared salad in the fridge. They would only need to cook some pasta for the side when Remy and Hunter arrived. Gran woke and joined them, just enjoying that her two grandbabies were getting along. After the meal was prepped they sat to look at some old family photos in the living room. Not soon after they started on the albums, Hadley saw Sookie stiffen a bit. "You OK over there?"

"Yes, Eric's up and he wants me."

Hadley giggled. "Guess we'll see you back here when the sun sets?"

"I'll come over just before 6." She winked at Hadley and left.

She ran to the outbuilding across from the cemetery and used the security panel to join Eric below ground. Before she even got into his arms he questioned, "What has you so happy?"

"A really good day with Hadley." From there she told Eric about their accord and then about Hunter. As she suspected, Eric did not agree that Hunter should be without protection, the problem was tactfully informing the Queen of his thoughts. It wasn't even the telepathy that was the concern. Hunter could be taken and used to coerce Hadley to hurt the Queen or the state in some way. He decided to try a few comments on Andre that evening to gage his reaction. She was curious about what he would do if he was the Queen so she asked.

"Probably, if the Queen really does care for Hadley as you say, I would have the boy moved into the palace. Hadley could adjust him to more nocturnal hours and a governess could be hired for his care. This would provide protection for the boy and provide him with a quieter environment, and by that I mean less humans."

"But Eric, the humans at the palace are donors. Their thoughts are not kid appropriate."

"Ahh, good point. . . . Perhaps a warded home close to the palace but with enough buffer from those thoughts." He continued to think on the topic of Hunter's safety for a moment, then changed the subject a bit. "You said that Remy was looking for help with his gift?"

"I won't know much more til they get here, but yes, Hadley felt he needed help."

"We'll know more shortly. You want to head over early in case Remy shows up before the sun sets?"

"If you don't mind. I don't want to miss Gran's reaction."

"I understand. I wish I was in the house so I could at least hear it, but I will need to wait for your recount after the fact."

"I'll make it up to you later, since we just used your pre-sunset time on my family drama."

"I'll be sure you pay for that as double time later. Now, go on before you miss something. I'll be over as soon as it's safe."

As she approached the back door, she could hear Gran fussing at Hadley. "What has you so jumpy girl?"

"Nothing Gran. I guess I'm just trying to make sure dinner is nice."

"I thought Eric was cooking, I was looking forward to trying that."

Sookie entered the kitchen. "He'll cook tomorrow. Hadley and I wanted to cook together tonight." Sookie moved to stand next to Hadley to try and calm her down before she blew the surprise.

"You both have that look like you're up to something. I haven't seen the two of you like that in years. Warms my heart to see you both getting along." Waving her hand at the empty table, Gran added, "well, let's set the table then."

"NO! I mean, what's the rush Gran? We have about 30 minutes before we eat, I'll put the water on for the pasta." Sookie stumbled out her excuse for not setting the table as it would just need to be set with the extra place settings when the guests arrived shortly. Both she and Hadley started fussing around the kitchen to avoid conversation or eye contact with Gran. The good news was that Remy was running late, it was just after 6 and the sun was just about fully set. Sookie was excited that Eric might get to see Gran's reaction after all.

Sure enough, just 10 minutes later he came running in through the back door just in time to hear the car pull into the drive. Sookie turned to Hadley who was twisting her hands together nervously. "Sookie, you . . . you tell her."

"Had, it should really come from y. . ."

"Please?" She asked with a pleading look.

Sookie conceded and smiled at Gran. "Gran, Hadley invited some guests to dinner."

"Guests, anyone I know?"

"No, but you will definitely be happy to meet them." The doorbell rang and Eric offered to greet the guests and bring them into the kitchen. They heard a young voice yell from the front. "You're quiet like my Mr. Andre." Sookie giggled. When a man and a boy appeared with Eric a moment later, Sookie nodded to Hadley. She was NOT going to introduce two people she'd never met herself.

Hadley was nervous but she reached down and grabbed Hunter to pick him up for comfort. "Gran, I want you to meet my son, Hunter Savoy." Gran gasped. "This is my ex-husband Remy Savoy."

"Ex-husband, son? Well this is very big news." Gran leaned into Hunter. "Hello Hunter. I'm very happy to meet you."

"Who are you?"

"I'm your Gran."

"Gran?"

"Yes, I'm your Mama's grandmother, so technically I'm your great-grandmother, but you can call me Gran." She quickly moved to Remy. "Mr. Savoy, It's nice to meet you."

"You can call me Remy Mrs. Stackhouse."

"And you can also call me Gran. Now let's get the introductions finished." Andre and Thalia had joined them in the kitchen for the introductions so Adele turned to him, "You must be Andre. Welcome to my home."

"Had! Gran, whose truck is that?" Jason had walked in announcing himself in his usual loud manner.

"And that everyone, is my grandson Jason. Somehow he missed several of my lessons on proper behavior." The group laughed and the introductions continued.

Andre started back where they had left off. "I'm very pleased to meet you Mrs. Stackhouse. You have a lovely home."

Eric almost fell over, but he said nothing. He didn't even look at Andre or Sookie for fear his facial expression would give away his shock and amusement at Andre. It was bad enough he could feel the shock from Sookie through the bond.

Gran continued to make the introductions and after Thalia met the boy and his father, she turned to Eric. "Master, are they to be protected while they are in the area?"

'_This could be the door to having the discussion with Andre. I didn't even need to prompt Thalia_.' He turned to Andre and offered, "We can discuss this after dinner."

"Certainly. I'm afraid I have some business to attend to though so I can't join you for dinner. Is there anywhere I can work while you eat?"

"The outbuilding just through the cemetery has network connectivity."

"I'll show you Andre, I need to start my patrol outside."

After they left, the group sat for dinner and the focus was all about Remy, Hadley and Hunter. Sookie finally lowered her shields and thought to Hunter and the boys eyes widened. '_Hi Hunter. Your Mommy thought you might be like me. Can you hear me?'_

_'Yeah! I was wondering why I couldn't hear anything before; I thought you were like Eric and Andre.'_

_'Nope, I'm human like you. We'll talk more after dinner since everyone is staring at us now.'_ She heard him giggle through the bond then looked up at eyes fixated on her. "Well, in case you're wondering, Hunter is a telepath just like me."

Remy spoke first. "Can it be removed?"

Sookie groaned to herself and Eric felt a stab of pain. Just like her mother, the first thought Remy had been that Hunter was broken. "Remy, I would rather discuss how we can help Hunter as he learns to use his gift."

"Gift? He's being tested for autism and brain tumors!"

Sookie cringed again. It was her childhood being played out with Hunter now. Not necessarily the autism part, her tests were for mental retardation. She remembered bitterly that after she took the test, the damn testers thought the results were invalid when they came back in the genius range. Then she was put through dozens of physical tests: x-rays and blood analysis; trying to find anything to blame for her 'condition'. She decided then she wouldn't stand by and watch that history repeat itself. "Remy, how about you, Hadley and I talk while Gran and Jason get to know Hunter? We have a nurse on duty to help with Hunter since Gran's kinda slow these days."

Hadley was the first to rise from the table and she grabbed Remy's hand, but Remy protested. "Hadley, he won't be comfortable around Gran, you know how he is."

"I'm fine Daddy. She's mostly quiet." His eyes opened wide and his mouth hung open.

"Come on Remy, I'll explain while we talk. Let's take a walk around the house." She turned to Eric and reached out her hand. "Join us?"

Eric had felt Sookie's sadness, anger and the resolution through the bond and he figured she needed his support. As he wanted Andre to participate to discuss security, he suggested the cottage across the cemetery.

Once settled around the table Sookie began. She told Remy about her childhood, how she'd been misunderstood, teased and even punished for her telepathy. She left nothing out, and even Eric cringed at some of the stories, though his respect for Jason grew as Sookie also shared his actions as protector and friend. He'd already known that Tara, Lala and Sookie had somehow banded together as misfits, but he hadn't heard the extent of Jason's comfort to Sookie as they grew up. Remy sat stunned by her story. Part of him was relieved to hear that Hunter really wasn't sick, but a bigger part was concerned that this was not something to be cured by a pill.

"How do I deal with this?"

"I can help Hunter with shields, and now that the truth is out, we can all help Hunter with his behavior. He's going to slip up, but if we instruct him carefully – not as a punishment – we can help him keep a 'poker face' in the midst of some shocking thoughts of those around him."

"What about the protection that Thalia woman mentioned?" He posed the question to Eric.

Eric quickly turned the question to Andre. "Andre? Since Hadley belongs to Sophie-Anne, Hadley's concerns need to . . ."

"BELONGS TO? Hadley, what the hell does he mean?"

Eric's eyes went wide. "Hadley? What has Remy been told?"

Hadley's eyes darted around as if looking for a rock to crawl under but she eventually answered. "Eric, perhaps Remy and I can speak for a few minutes privately. He believes I am dating Andre now – he is uninformed of my . . . circumstances."

"Normally, and ex-husband wouldn't need to be informed, but with a child and a gifted child at that. . ." He shook his head. "It's not my business, but we'll leave you to talk"

Sookie and Eric headed to the farmhouse hand in hand. He wanted to talk more about Sookie's revelations, but he could feel she was already on edge so he refrained. She felt his eagerness and it didn't match his quiet so she offered, "I know you want to talk about all that. I just want to spend some time with Hunter, help him for as long as I can. He's got an early day tomorrow since Remy needs to drop him at daycare at the crack of dawn. Remy's already thinking it's time to get him home."

"You read me well even if you can't hear my thoughts, I do want to talk, but I know now is not the time. Let's go see what you can do for Hunter."

Knowing she wasn't going to have much time, Sookie chose to chat with Hunter about what his gift was, how others might see it, and how he shouldn't respond to thoughts – no matter how much he wanted to. The confusion from Hunter on this was not a shock to Sookie. He just didn't understand why people's thoughts didn't match their voice, and he didn't understand why he couldn't respond to their thoughts. The whole visit had turned into a trip down memory lane for Sookie and this topic was no different. A detailed, logical discussion wouldn't really help Hunter at three years old, but she was struggling.

Then Jason offered, "Hunter, do you need to make you bed in the morning?" Luckily he nodded yes. "Well, sometimes that doesn't seem to make sense, right? You're just going to get back in and mess it up later." Sookie was so proud of Jason putting into terms the three year old could understand. It made sense since Jason hadn't progressed much farther than Hunter on a maturity level.

"I say that to Daddy all the time! On weekends, I have to take naps and the bed would be messy again right after lunch – but he still tells me to make the bed."

Jason continued. "Well, not answering other's thoughts or telling someone about other's thoughts is pretty much the same. To you, at three years old, it just doesn't make sense, but you have to do it. Can you trust me on this?"

"I can."

Jason smiled. "I think we're going to be good friends."

Sookie smiled and added to their conversation. "Do you promise to try and only respond to spoken words?"

"I do." She held out her pinky and Eric laughed. Hunter took Sookie's pinky in his and stated. "I pinky swear."

While she really wanted to work on shields, she knew the time Remy would give them right now would only scratch the surface. She decided to ask Remy about longer visits, maybe even sleepovers, with Hunter. They'd only spent about 20 minutes with the boy before Remy came to collect him. While Hadley said goodbye to Hunter, Sookie first asked Eric about having Hunter as a guest occasionally and when he agreed, they approached Remy.

He rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness. "I don't know Sookie. You live with a vampire."

She got her fur up but bit back the initial comments she wanted to make. "Remy, at the very least, Hunter could enjoy some true quiet while he learns how to use shields. We could also spend time here at the farmhouse, but Eric would still be with me, as well as Gran's guards."

"Yeah – about the guards. You really live like that? Andre said he would be talking to Hadley's girlfriend about the same thing for us."

"I do. At first it was strange, but now I either invite the guards in on whatever we're doing, or I don't notice them at all." He shook his head and she cut him off. "Look, let's talk later this week about a visit and we can discuss guards at that time as well. I can tell you're antsy to get him home and to bed."

"Yes, thank you."

OOOoooOOOooo

Back in the safe room of the cottage, Eric questioned Sookie on some of the stories she related from her youth. He'd arranged them on a blow-up mattress Jason had brought over, Sookie on her back, and he was lying on his side. This was a favorite position when they were talking because he could see her face and play with her at the same time – something he was doing at that very moment.

She stopped his questioning. "I know you want to talk about the stuff I said from my past, but it won't change anything. We've talked about this before: my past doesn't define me."

"How about your comments about Jason? I was impressed."

"Yeah, now you know why, in addition to Dawn's pregnancy, I was so adamant about finding and saving him. He'd come to my aid for years. He even had one of his friends take me to the prom at the last minute when we realized my date only asked me on a dare." She looked away from Eric for a moment to add. "I'd been dressed and ready to go, when he was late showing up, Tara called from the prom saying he was already there with his 'real' date." He felt the pain from that one and squeezed her tightly. '_I'll question Jason about the identity of the idiot, he'll pay_.'

"We'll leave this if you want, but I am here to talk about anything from your past if you want."

"What about you?

"What about me?"

"I'm here for you too if you ever want to talk about your past."

"I've shared Viking stories before. I've told you plenty of my travels; I know you're here for me."

"You also promised to tell me about your family." A bit of pain squeaked through the bond, so she backed off. "I'm not pushing, I'm just reminding you."

He was quiet for a few minutes and he stroked Sookie's stomach while he thought. Finally he answered. "I had two wives and six children. My first wife, Aude, was an arranged marriage but we did fit well together. I had a very healthy respect for her and probably loved her as the mother to my children, but I wasn't 'in love' with her. That's a gift that waited for you." She smiled at him. "She died with our 5th baby, both of them from a fever that was not controlled after the birth. Today it would probably have been diagnosed and treated easily as an infection of some sorts. They were laid to rest together." She squeezed Eric having felt more of the pain coming across the bond. He was pensive for moment, then continued. "As I had young children, it was a priority to find another wife, so I traveled to another village to meet a prospect."

"Sounds romantic."

He smiled slightly at her comment. "Far from it my sweet." His face grew serious again. "I secured the woman, a widow with one child, made arrangements for her clan to bring her to my village for the wedding and headed home. I barely made it home alive."

"What happened, an ambush?"

"No, wild animals of some sort. I was traveling alone and could hear snarling and hissing in the woods along with flesh being ripped so I ran for it. Returning home with a large animal would have been a boon, but traveling alone and going after the creatures making the noises? That would have been foolish."

"So you married this woman?"

He nodded. "Her name was Gillaug. When we married, her child became my child as my children became hers as was tradition in our clan. We were only married a short time before Godric found me on a battlefield and turned me. At least I knew with a mother and my brother in the village, my children would be cared for. Godric allowed me one last glance before we left the area. My brother Sighfridh had taken Gillaug as his wife and he was going to take my father's place as Chieftan." He positioned Sookie to be more on top of him, her head in his shoulder while he hugged her tight. "I've always felt I was born to be a vampire and I never regretted Godric's actions. If he hadn't turned me, I would be dead. I do miss that I never got to raise my children though. My oldest was 8 and my youngest was 3 when I was turned." He could feel the wetness from her tears on his chest as he spoke. "You are a gift to me Sookie. I believe that now. I've never spoken of my children, and I certainly never hoped to have another chance. Now I, rather WE have the chance to have a family and I will forever be grateful to you. Even though I will not father these children biologically, I vow that will never make them any less than mine."

"Oh Eric, that . . . I mean . . . thank you. I can't wait to get started."

"Call Ludwig tomorrow; ask her if she can guide us to the right specialist."

"I will." She laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?"

"We'll be makers of tiny humans."

"You think you're clever." He laughed with her.

"I know I am."

"And now, even though we aren't creating our babies in the traditional way, I think we should keep practicing for authenticity sake."

"You make a good point."

"You make two good points, and they're currently rubbing against my chest."

She laughed at him. "You're a dirty old man."

"I try."

**A/N – I can't even try to take credit for the maker of tiny humans comment – it came from a Grey's Anatomy episode and as soon as I heard it – I knew I would be borrowing (stealing) it. So thanks to the writer's of Grey's for that particular tidbit.**


	40. All kinds of Dates

**A HUGE thank you for all my reviews (I tried to catch up on responding this week) and all the author and story favorites and alerts. That stuff makes my day!**

**Just a reminder, I don't own these characters - just borrowing from CH and AB.**

**OOOoooOOOooo**

**Did ya miss me? Work has been very busy and we went away for some camping time. This chapter is kind of all fluff. I thought we deserved a break from the action. It's also not soooo long, so I may post again before the weekend is out if I have time.**

**PLEASE don't forget to vote in the I Write the Songs contest (fixed link on my profile, you have to cut and paste cause for the life of me, I couldn't get it to be an actual link).**

**Enjoy some dates and playdates with our favorite couple.**

Chapter 39 – All kinds of Dates

March 15 2004

"I'm ready!"

"Yes you are min älskade. Dressed in jeans as I asked."

"Where are we going?"

"Patience. I like surprising you." He took her hand and he headed for the back door.

"The back yard?"

"Yes." He left her at the back door then moved to the storage shed at the back of the property and removed a large plastic storage box. Too curious to wait, she ran behind him as he placed it in the yard. "Open it."

The lid stuck but she pulled it off with persistence and found a tent, firewood, and sleeping bags. When she turned to look at Eric, she found him pulling a large round item out from the garage. Looking closer she recognized it. "A fire pit?"

"Yes. We're camping out."

"What about dawn?"

"Well, we'll need to return to our bedroom before dawn, but we can hang out here for a while." She smiled and clapped her hands. "I take it you like this?"

"I've never camped before. I mean, we had campouts in the living room like Jason and Hadley just had, but never a tent or anything."

"I know. I spoke to Jason to get date ideas. He told me you were always jealous that he had time as a Boy Scout and went camping, but joining the Girl Scouts was never an option for you."

"He . . . he knew that bothered me?" Her chin crumpled a bit. "And you asked him for ideas?"

"Don't cry Sookie. What has upset you?"

"Upset me? Nothing, that's just the sweetest thing." She reached up to hug him. "Thank you." The tears only lasted a moment and she returned to the date quickly. Looking around, she noticed no food. "You promised me dinner for our date."

"You're having hot dogs cooked over the fire and sum-mores."

"It's pronounced smores – all one syllable."

"I don't think my prior heritage from Sweden will allow me to say that word correctly." She just giggled. "But no worries, I'm sure we can make it correctly. I have a cooler full of food in the garage."

"Well, let's get started."

Eric first started the fire then they worked together to pitch the tent. The blow-up mattress was a cheat on authentic camping but he was planning on tent sex and the ground wouldn't be comfortable. As soon as the fire had turned to coals, Eric started cooking some hot dogs for Sookie while she nibbled on the gourmet potato chips he'd bought. "Bobby may have been an ass, but I give credit where it's due. He DID find my new favorite gourmet food store. These hand cooked chips are to die for."

"I never understood that phrase when used for something like food. An ideal, a country – I could see those as things 'to die for' but not a potato chip."

"You haven't had these or you'd understand."

"I'll just take your word for it and kiss the hell out of you in a moment so I can try them myself."

She snickered at him. "Put the hot dogs down and do that now. You want to taste the chip, not hot dog."

After a long make-out session followed by re-heating the cooked dogs, Sookie finally had her dinner and started on her smores. A perfect light brown was her goal for her marshmallows and she was currently spinning her cooking fork over the fire to achieve it. Eric laughed. "For someone who needs to work on her patience issues, you are certainly doing well with your marshmallows."

"This is a smore Eric, a smore from a real campfire. It's got to be perfect. I don't want a burned marshmallow and I really want that marshmallow gush when I put it in the graham cracker and chocolate sandwich."

"Yes dear."

"See?" She held it out and he admired her work. "It's just right." After assembling her sweet, she took a bit and the marshmallow did in fact gush out. Eric snapped a picture. "ERIC!" She yelled with a mouthful of marshmallow.

"What? I want to remember this. I want to document our life."

'_How can I be mad at that_? _Even though I have a face full of chocolate and marshmallow_.' She shook her head.

Eric adjusted himself several times as she indulged in her dessert. The moans were more than usual and he was having difficulty with his own patience. Sookie noticed. "Looks like you're ready for your good night kiss already."

"Always."

"Can we enjoy the fire for a little bit before we, um, retire to the tent?"

"Of course. Come sit with me." He patted his lap as he sat in the oversized camp chair he purchased for just this reason. "Tell me about your day."

"Well, I arranged time to visit with Hunter; he'll be spending a few days with us later this month." He nodded his acknowledgement. "I ran out to Bon Temps to do some cleaning and visit with Gran. I. . ."

"Wait, you don't get off the Gran topic that easily. How are things going with Gran?"

"Better all the time. I love her, I forgive her of course. It still stings a bit but I'm working through it."

"You are a forgiver. I must admit that makes me happy as I'm sure it does Gran." He looked off to the fire for a moment. "Sometimes I don't think we or especially I deserved the forgiveness."

"Probably not." His eyes grew wide and she felt him become upset. "Hang on, don't be upset, let me explain."

"Ok."

"If you take the love out, the emotion and look at the facts, I probably shouldn't have forgiven or taken you back. But it's the love that changes everything. The love made your leaving hurt that much more, but it was the reason I was able to take you back. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, I'm sorry I brought it up though. It hurts to think of a possibility where we wouldn't be together."

"I know. Let's talk about something else." She poked at the fire with a stick for a moment. "OH, I was about to say I made our appointment with our fertility specialist."

He smiled widely. "That's great. When can we go?"

"April 7th."

"Why so far out?"

"He's just that popular, and actually Ludwig called and got us in earlier than we would normally have needed to wait. But that's fine. We need to work on the sperm donor stuff and they're mailing the catalog out so all that will be in place before our first visit."

"That's good at least." He didn't really like the idea of another man's sperm in Sookie, but had long since resigned himself that it was necessary for them to reach the goal of having a family. He'd suck it up, as Pam told him many times.

The fire held their attention for a long time while they just snuggled quietly together. Sookie broke the silence. "Tell me more about Godric's maker. Will I be scared of her?"

He chuckled. "No more than any other vampire in the room when she shows up for our Pledging."

"What does that mean?"

"She is the oldest known vampire and a seer. She is respected or at least feared by all other vampires. They will all kneel to her."

"Why doesn't she do something about vampires that 'aren't with the program' in terms of integrating with humans?"

"I think she is. She just works very methodically. I think we will eventually see change. Hopefully." He kept the rest of his thoughts to himself. He was certain he was part of the change based on the hints she dropped when he met her in Dallas, but that was not for him to discuss with Sookie, yet. Well, he didn't know anything he could say anyway.

He was taken out of his thoughts by Sookie's whisper. "I want you Eric. Let's go to the tent."

"Do I get more than a goodnight kiss?"

"You get whatever you want. The creativity for this date was over the top. You've been a very good boy."

"I'll show you how good I can be in the tent min älskade."

"Goody."

OOOoooOOOooo

A few weeks had passed since Hadley's initial visit and as they discussed, Hunter was coming to spend Sunday and Monday night with Sookie and Eric. On mid-Sunday morning, Sookie and Peter were driving to Red Ditch to pick him up. She planned to spend the day with Hunter on his shields; then have playtime with Hunter and Eric that evening before bedtime. She rode with a huge smile on her face, anticipating the joys of Aunt-hood. She didn't care that she was giving up date nights for Hunter. Sure, she'd enjoyed thinking of dates and seeing what Eric came up with, but having Hunter would be great too. When they arrived at the small but well kept house, she was expecting some hesitation from Hunter. Remy had warned her he'd never been to a sleepover so he was certain Hunter would back out of his commitment to spend time with Sookie. Remy couldn't have been more wrong. Hunter was on the porch with his back pack and stuffed animal ready to go. "Are you ready for our playdate Aunt Sookie?"

"I am. And who is this?" Sookie asked, pointing to the stuffed dragon.

"Scatha, my dragon."

She crouched down to talk to Hunter at his level. "It doesn't look like a long worm dragon."

Hunter's eyes grew wide. "You know who Scatha is?"

"I like to read. How do you know who Scatha is?"

"An older brother of a kid from daycare saw my dragon and we started talking about dragons. He told me all about The Lord of the Rings and such. I thought it was pretty cool so I used the name. Daddy says I'm too young for the books yet."

"I'll talk to him about it sometime." She stood again. "Where is your Daddy? I need to discuss your visit before we leave."

"In there." He pointed over his shoulder into the house.

Looking both nervous and a little sad, Remy was waiting in the kitchen just staring at a wall. "Remy?"

"Hey Sookie."

"You OK? You look a little lost there."

His head shook as he responded. "I . . . I'm hurt that he's so excited. I have no right to feel that way. I should be thrilled he's getting help."

Taking the seat next to him so he could realize she was willing to spend a few minutes talking, she responded. "Remy, you didn't know what you were dealing with; he'll understand. He sees that you're trying now. I've read it from him on a few of our recent visits." Being pleasant to Remy was something she really had to dig deep for. His thoughts were hurtful even though they were improving and the memories he resurrected were painful. For Hunter's sake, she made the effort.

"I know. It doesn't make it hurt less that he likes you, Eric and even that scary Pam more than me. The Gran part, that doesn't bother me. Lord knows my parents have treated him like he has the plague. God only knows what they've thought around him."

"How scary can Pam be? She buys him new clothes every week."

"But she threatened to kill me if I tell anyone that she likes Hunter."

"Pam grows on you. She dotes on Hunter whenever we visit; he's going to respond to that."

"I know. . . . Hey, can you ask her to cut back on the clothes at least? His closet is overfull and most of it blue."

"Ah, no. I can't do that." He raised his eyebrows in question. "Um, she can still scare me as well. How about I agree to just keep clothes at Gran's and my house? And forget about telling her to stop with the blue. Hunter told her it's his favorite color – she's going with that."

He laughed at her hypocrisy. "Fair enough."

"So any last minute information for me?"

"No."

"Ok. Well, I need to tell you something before we go. It's a doozy though." He nodded for her to go on. "Remy. There's more that just vampires that are real."

His eyes grew wide. "What the hell does that mean?"

"At my house, heck right in my car, Hunter is going to meet a Werewolf." As if rejecting the information he put his hands up but she pressed on. "There is also a species called Daemons. We know a few. I'm sorry to lay this on you right now, but I couldn't tell you ahead of time since I want to introduce them to Hunter this trip and if I told you even a day earlier, he would've read it in your thoughts."

"Why does he need to know? Hell, I don't want to know."

"And you shouldn't really know. Remy, if you can't handle the information, I'll have a vampire come over and glamour the information away. I just wanted you to be aware of what your son will learn at this sleepover."

"You haven't answered my question about why he needs to know."

"Remy, he can tell the difference from their heads. I need him to be informed before he blurts something out at the wrong time. These other species aren't ready to reveal themselves. Folks could be in danger." She took a hand and looked him in the eyes very seriously. "Remy, can you handle knowing this?"

A hand rubbed over his face as he thought more. "After all you're doing for me, I'll keep the secret. I don't want anyone you know getting hurt. I still can't believe that what I thought was folklore and fairytale stuff is real."

_'And I didn't even tell you all of it.'_ She thought. "Yeah, I know. It's a shocker." She rose from the table. "Well, I really want to get going so I have plenty of time on his shield lessons."

"I'll walk you out to say goodbye."

"Remy." She grasped his arm. "Take this time to relax and enjoy yourself. Being a single parent can't be easy." He simply nodded and walked out with her.

While they were on the road to Shreveport, Hunter's questions started. "Mr. Peter, what are you?"

Peter turned to Sookie and she nodded for him to answer. "I'm a Werewolf. I can change from a human into an actual werewolf. I can show you if you want."

"THAT WOULD BE COOL!"

"Aunt Sookie, what else do ya got at the house?"

"I think I'm going to let you make your own discoveries."

They pulled into the driveway and were greeted by Eric's new dayman, Mustapha Kahn. "Welcome Hunter, my name is Mustapha."

"ANOTHER WEREWOLF?"

Sookie just laughed. "You're going to run out of excitement if you keep this up."

"Not possible." His head whipped around towards the door. "WHOA, I can't hear you but I can tell your happy and wondering about something, me?"

Potts laughed. "Yes Hunter. I'm a Daemon and you will only be able to detect my moods. My name is Potts and I'm very happy to meet you."

"Potts? That's funny, that's like the enchanted teapot in Beauty and the Beast." Sookie found that especially funny when she thought about it.

"You like that movie?" Potts was a little surprised that he would know a princess movie.

"NO, they made us watch it at daycare. It's for girls." He said like he was sniffing vinegar.

"Well, let's get you into the house. I have lots of lessons I want to cover before you need your afternoon nap."

"Lessons Aunt Sookie?"

"Remember, we're covering shields today."

"Oh yeah. Let's go."

She showed him his guest room for the sleepover and he freshened up before they went to the den to start. "Blocks? We're going to play blocks?"

"Yep. It's what my shields look like in my head. I was hoping it would help."

"Who taught you?"

"Well Hunter, I had to learn on my own. I'm hoping that I can save you some trouble by starting you earlier."

"Sookie, your shields are down. You're so sad."

"No, I'm very happy with my life. I'm sad about how hard my childhood was, and I was only recalling it."

He nodded to indicate he accepted her comment and Sookie put up her shields.

They worked for a while, ate lunch then moved onto working with balloons for other shield training. Sookie was taking stabs at the best way to describe shields and her tactics were working. Hunter was starting to make progress when she put him down for an afternoon nap. "When you wake up, you'll play with Potts for a while until Eric and I come up from his day chamber."

"Oh, do you take an afternoon nap too?"

She laughed to herself thinking it was more like afternoon delight, but she answered him with a G rated response. "Yes, while you're here I'll be up a good part of the day and then I stay up with Eric for most of the night. So I'll need to nap when you do." Hunter's eyes grew wide. "Hunter, normally I stay up the whole night with Eric."

"WOW!"

She laughed at his enthusiasm as she had all day, but she quickly turned serious. "Now you, little man, need to get some sleep."

OOOoooOOOooo

Eric and Sookie found Hunter playing soccer with Potts and a guard outside. Surprising Sookie, Eric ran up to the three of them to join in the game. Potts looked up and quickly said "human speed vampire!"

"Of course."

They continued to play for a short while with Sookie cheering from the side. Eric only ended the game because he had to go in and cook dinner.

Hunter's focus turned to Eric and he asked. "YOU cook?"

"I do."

"What are we having?"

"I'm making your Gran's recipe for fried chicken for the first time tonight. Actually, Pam should be back with Gran any minute now. She told me she was going to judge my effort."

Sookie was very surprised. "You invited Gran?"

"Of course, she'd be mad if she missed out on a sleepover with Hunter. She's spending the night."

"That's so sweet."

He leaned in to whisper in her ear, "and she can let you sleep in tomorrow since I want to keep you busy until after sunrise."

"Always thinking." She reached up to kiss his cheek and lingered with her arms around his neck.

Hunter interrupted their moment. "Can I watch you cook?"

"Of course." Hunter smiled at Eric's response but kept staring at Eric. You didn't need a bond or telepathy to see he was curious about something. "What are you thinking about Hunter?"

"You. You seem pretty normal to me. My daddy warned me about vampires, but you're not like he said."

'_Normal, he thinks I'm normal? I better correct him so he doesn't become immune to the dangers of vampires_.' Taking the seat next to Hunter at the counter, Eric stared very seriously at Hunter. "Your Daddy wasn't wrong, Hunter. This is very important. Vampires in general cannot be trusted, they aren't your friends. In the past month you've met some specific vampires that are assigned to protect you and you can trust them. Sophie-Anne has provided them because of her relationship with your mother."

"Yeah. Mina's real pretty and nice to me. Joel is OK."

"You also have Pam and me when you stay."

"Who has Pam and me?" Pam called from the foyer. "Oh, it's the smurf."

"Hi Miss Pam. Eric and I were talking about vampires to trust."

"A very serious topic, is Eric doing a good job explaining it to you?"

"Yes Ma'am. Then he's going to make Gran's fried chicken."

"He better get it right." They heard Gran chuckle as she came in. "I'm going to judge him."

"No pressure Sweetie." Sookie giggled to Eric as she hugged Gran. "I'll set the table."

OOOoooOOOooo

"You outdid yourself this visit Eric. You did a great job on the chicken last night and again tonight with the smothered pork chops."

"Thank you Gran. I did have lots of help from Hunter though."

"You sure did." Gran turned to Hunter and smiled. "Are we having playing another board game tonight?"

Hunter started jumping up and down and shaking his head a few seconds before he started speaking. "Nope! Eric got an early release of Brother Bear. It doesn't come out until tomorrow but he owns the store." He ran to get the movie from the den then back to the kitchen. "See! Here it is. He bought me my own copy and everything."

"Well that's pretty exciting. We'll watch it together before bed."

Sookie took over the conversation while she dried the dishes. "But first we're heading out to the local diner for dessert so Hunter can test his shields."

Hunter stood proudly and stated, "I'm ready."

The adults all giggled at his enthusiasm, but Pam responded. "Ok smurf, but we need to finish cleaning up first. How about you and Eric head outside and kick the soccer ball around for a bit."

Sookie laughed, "you're just upset you didn't get to see him play yesterday."

"Maybe. I'm grabbing my camera." Eric growled softly but didn't say anything.

A short while later Sookie walked onto the porch to call them in from the yard but she stopped to watch for a moment, daydreaming about Eric playing with their child someday. She shook her head to take her out of the daydream and called them in. "Ok guys, let's get in the car."

After everyone was buckled in, Sookie reminded Hunter. "We talked about trying to shield some folks while listening to others, remember?" He nodded animatedly. "We also talked about how you should practice full shields, meaning you won't listen to anybody. That's easier."

"I remember Aunt Sookie."

"Ok, well I just want you to do full shields for now, and when you can do that without getting tired, you can try focusing. OK, so no listening at all at the diner and let's see how long it takes for you to get tired."

"Got it Aunt Sookie."

A short while later they were driving home again. Hunter had made it all through dessert and didn't tire at all. Sookie told him how proud she was, but cautioned him that once he was back at daycare, he would probably get tired before going home. "Don't get sad if that happens Hunter, you'll have to practice to get stronger, but I know you can. Look what you can already do after two nights."

"I know Aunt Sookie, it was actually the balloon stuff that helped me best."

"I'm glad Hunter."

Everyone praised the boy for his efforts and his smile showed how happy that made him. Since it was getting late, Sookie corralled everyone as soon as they were home. "Let's get that movie started, it's already pretty late for our little man and he needs to go to daycare tomorrow morning."

After the movie, Sookie reminded Hunter that he wouldn't see Gran, Pam or Eric the next day before he was being dropped off at daycare for his Daddy to collect him later. He gave Gran and Pam big hugs, which they both accepted before Pam drove Gran home. Hunter then asked Eric to read him a story, and he agreed. Watching Eric read the story was a joy for Sookie. She again found herself daydreaming about their own kids. '_I have to stop. We don't even have our first appointment and there is no guarantee it will work_.' She sighed to herself as Hunter's eyelids drooped while he was snuggled into Eric. '_But look at that, I want to see this every night, so badly_.'

After tucking Hunter in, Sookie and Eric went to the kitchen with the sperm donor paperwork in hand. "So we have this catalog to review. I haven't opened it; I wanted to wait for you."

"Thank you min kära. Let's get started."

They opened the first page and found a list of questions or items that they should consider when selecting a donor:

*Do I (we) want to use a 'Willing To Be Known' donor?

*Should the donor have physical characteristics similar to my own (or to my partner's)?

*Can I (we) have more than one child using this donor?

*What is the donor's medical history?

*What is the donor's family's medical history?

*What are the donor's interests, education, values, talents, etc.

Eric started on the top item. "Sookie, I don't know how you will feel about this, but honestly, I don't want to have anything to do with the sperm donor other than purchasing the sperm."

She could tell he was a bit nervous about this so she calmed him with her words immediately. "Eric, relax; I agree. You will be the baby's father." Pointing to the next item she added, "that makes this question very important. I want extra tall, blond and blue eyes as part of the physical requirements. We even have the option to pay for extra information on the donors so we can check that type of information for a few generations."

"Agreed on both points. I want the information we have to go back as far as possible. That even covers one of the other questions on the donor's family's medical history."

"Yes." She hesitated to ask about the item that was inadvertently skipped. "What about having more than one child?"

"Why do you seem nervous about that question? We can have as many as you want. I like the idea that we would use the same sperm donor for all of them."

"Well, that was easy. The last question on interests and talents? Honestly, I don't care about that so much. If the physical characteristics, medical history and other stuff check out, my priorities are met."

"Yes, we will focus on nurture for interest, values and talents."

"Yes, I'm sure we won't find someone who has an interest or talent in sword fighting, it's kind of an old fashioned thing. Maybe a niche interest if you will."

"Are you calling me old?"

"If the shoe fits. . ."

I've been enjoying my reviews - please consider taking the time to add one? Thanks! ~m


	41. Chapter 40 - She's gone where the gobli

**Hi all:**

**The kids are still away on their day trip so you get a chapter. This chapter is one from a few weeks ago that I could not finish - I think it was chapter 38 at the time. Hope you guys like it.**

**Cross your fingers for the I Write the Songs - that gets announced this week.**

**Have a good one!**

**~M**

Chapter 40 - She's gone where the goblins go

March 30, 2004

The next evening, Sookie was napping on the couch at Fangtasia when two women barged into the room, startling her awake. She'd returned Hunter to his daycare earlier that day, but her short nap at home before Fangtasia wasn't enough to make up for the busy days with a 3 year old and she fell asleep in the middle of doing homework. The taller of the two women yelled to Eric. "Vampire! My name is Hallow and I'm here to set my fees for protection money."

Eric actually chuckled at the woman. "Protection money? You believe you can protect me? Just what would you protect me from?"

The woman stood tall and proud and answered. "Protection from a very powerful witch. Specifically: me."

He stood so quickly his chair flew and hit the credenza behind his desk, cracking the wood at the impact. His fangs were down and he loomed over the woman, but he did not touch her. He knew witches could spell themselves. "You dare to threaten me?"

"Step back vampire. Since I believe you are unsure of my abilities, I'll give you a sample." She nodded to her partner.

A few minutes passed and Eric smirked. "And what is this sample? I don't see anyth . . . "

Just then, Pam ran into the office. "Master, all the toilets in the bathrooms just clogged and started overflowing."

He turned to the witch. "Explain."

"I want 50% of your business for my protection. I'll be back in a week's time to settle this with a contract. If you don't comply, problems will occur all over your bar, EVERY night. I can create spells for spoiled blood, mini floods, and dangerous cracks in your dance floor. You know, things that will put you out of business. I'll show myself out and put your restrooms back in order before I leave as a sign of good faith." She turned and left the office.

When Pam followed them, Sookie finally spoke. "I heard them, it's bad"

THAT had his attention and he vamped to her side, kneeling on the floor. "What did you hear min kära?"

Pam returned to the office before she answered but she remained quiet while Sookie answered. "We need to call Alcide."

"Alcide?"

"The woman talking was a Were, so I think he should know."

"Yes, I smelled Were before the magic."

"More importantly, they started on some Were businesses in the area first. Thank goodness I can hear Weres now or we would've missed some pretty important stuff. There's a Were that owns a Bridal Shop that has refused their 'protection'. Eric, they're planning to kill her tomorrow as an example. She's got to be part of his pack, he needs to know." She started to wring her hands from worry. "There's more, but can we cover the rest after Alcide gets here?"

"Sure. I'll call him to come over. He'll probably bring his Packmaster."

"Eric," Pam started, "Did you smell the vampire blood?"

"Yes, that's very troublesome. How many left with the two from the office?"

"Two others that had been in the bar while she stormed in here."

Eric placed the call to Alcide and since it was still early, just about 10PM, Alcide was able to call Flood and arrive at Fangtasia quickly. Eric stood and handled the introductions. "Colonel Flood, may I introduce my bonded and fiancée Sookie Stackhouse? And you remember my child Pam."

"Ladies, a pleasure. I'm the Packmaster of the Long Tooth Pack. I've heard a lot about you already Miss Stackhouse."

"Sookie please."

"Certainly, please call me James. I understand you heard a threat to one of my pack?"

Looking at Alcide while she spoke she confirmed "You're aware of my ability?" She shifted her focus back to the Colonel and saw him nod. "We were visited by two women tonight. One who called herself Hallow, claimed to be a witch but was also a Were. She threatened Eric in an attempt to negotiate for 50% of his business intake. Then she flooded the bathrooms as proof. While she and Eric were talking, I was listening. Her friend was thinking about their tasks for tomorrow, including a trip to a Bridal Shop – Verena Rose or something like that? Do you know it?"

"Yes, the owner, Adabelle, is part of my pack."

"Well, please warn her, they plan to return tomorrow and kill her for lack of compliance. They want to get a message out early for the Weres." She turned to Eric. "This is the part I haven't told you yet, the part where we were waiting."

He pulled her back into his lap and she settled in for the comfort. "Go on."

"This Hallow and her brother are both Weres. Their plan is to take over and control all the supe businesses in the Shreveport area using some other local witches they have recruited. This is their second large city in the south. Jacksonville Arkansas being the first due to the high Were population there. They've already got 2 vampires they feed from to boost their magical power and strength as Weres. Eric, Hallow plans to spell you somehow if you don't comply when they return in a week."

He didn't hesitate. The relationship he had with the Packmaster made his next comments easy. "I want to work together to take this coven down."

"Agreed, let me call in a few from the pack to strategize. Can we meet here?"

"Yes, we close at 2AM, how about then?"

"We'll be back with reinforcements."

"Wait." Sookie called. "You're going to call Adabelle? Right?"

"It'll be my first call, I promise."

After they left, Eric turned to Sookie. "Sookie, I think you should try and rest until they return. My guess is you may be needed tomorrow to investigate with your gift."

"Of course. We need to take these witches down." She laughed. "I NEVER thought I would say something like that." She thought for a moment then yelled. "That witch!"

His eyes darted around, confused for a second before he asked, "Are you cursing at someone? What are you saying?"

"The one that made the ward around the house. Can you call her for help?"

"Good idea. You're still napping though." He turned to his child. "Pam, head back out to the floor. I'm going to do some planning here while Sookie naps."

"Yes Eric. Sweet dreams Sookie."

As Pam left, Eric rose with Sookie still in his arms and he placed her on the couch. She sighed though. "I'm tired but I'm also upset about this witch. What kind of spell could she do?"

"I don't know min älskade. We will have a plan shortly. Rest now."

"Will you rub my back for a few minutes?"

"Of course."

The blanket from the couch was wrapped around her; then she felt his hands through the material, lulling her back into her nap.

She woke a bit disoriented. "What time is it?"

"About 2AM, we just closed. The Weres are here." He rose to help her up. "Let's join them and put together a plan."

"I need a quick pit stop."

"I'll wait in the hall for you."

They joined the group in the bar area. Eric had called in his fighters from Area 5 and Flood had certainly brought in more than the 'few' he promised. Sookie was impressed. She was surprised to see Potts in the group and she walked over to chat with her. "Couldn't resist a good fight?"

"My job is to help protect Eric, that alone would have me here." She smirked and added. "And YES, I love a good fight. Diantha and Glad will be joining us as soon as they get here from New Orleans. Seeing them fight is impressive."

"Can't wait."

"Ah, NO. You may be part of the intel gathering, but I'm pretty sure you won't be at the fight."

"I beg to differ. I can count heads; I can listen in for strategy – DURING a fight, not just before."

"We'll see."

Eric called the group to attention from his dais, Colonel Flood stood next to him as a show of solidarity. "Thank you everyone for joining us. We have five additional guests arriving from New Orleans and I just received word that their plane has landed. As the five arriving are already familiar with the situation, I thought we could review those details while we wait. Let me first introduce my bonded and fiancée, Sookie Stackhouse." Sookie moved to stand up front with Eric. "Sookie has the unique gift of telepathy and . . ."

A faint voice in the background could be heard saying, "Stupid fangbanging whore."

An icy stare formed Eric's face. " He stopped and stared toward the back of the crowd while several of the vampires hissed and a few Weres growled. "What was that?" When nobody answered he shared what he heard. "I'm pretty sure I heard a comment about Miss Stackhouse and that won't be tolerated." He was walking as he spoke. "I believe it was you who made that comment, am I correct?"

The Were in the chokehold knew he had been caught. "It was."

Eric appeared calm as he asked, "Colonel, in the interest of our success, could you clarify our working relationship?"

"You were warned Eddie." He turned to Eric. "He just moved here from Florida where they don't have the benefits of a supernatural working relationship. He's dating Adabelle so he wanted to participate."

While still holding Eddie by the neck he discussed the Were with Flood. "If you can control him he can stay AFTER he apologizes. If he's going to be a problem he needs to go."

Flood moved closer to stand in Eddie's space and stare him down. "The lady you just insulted is the reason we know to protect Adabelle. She called US when she heard the threat."

After Flood backed away, Eric resumed. "You would've had the same problem in Florida. Sookie and I will be traveling to Florida next month to help the Weres and Vampires establish better relations." Eddie scowled and turned away from Eric.

Flood didn't hesitate. He had a few new members and a hard line was the best way to enforce their rules. "He apologizes AND he goes." He moved to warn Eddie; face to face. "This is your one warning. We get along in this area. End of story."

Eric and Flood exchanged stiff nods as Eddie left the bar - after apologizing. "As I was saying, Sookie is a telepath and while two witches were in my office to demand 50% of my business, she heard several thoughts concerning the supe businesses in our area. First, as the Colonel just told Eddie, there is a threat to a local Were, the owner of the Verena Rose Bridal and Formal Shop. Adabelle Rose has been warned. She also heard that the witches have control over the supe business in Jacksonville, Arkansas. This was confirmed after I spoke to my Queen and she called King Threadgill of Arkansas. Finally, the next target is Fangtasia, specifically; they plan to spell me as I am the Vampire Sheriff for the area." He moved to take Sookie's hand. "Sheriff Baldar of that area in Arkansas was spelled to lose all his memories. They have some local witches trying to reverse the spell, but they've had no success." He could feel Sookie's panic, but he needed to be honest with her and everyone about the situation.

The meeting was interrupted by the arrival of the guests from New Orleans. "Ah, here come the others." Eric waved to the new participants. "Octavia Fant and her assistant Amelia Broadway are both witches and most of you know Gladiola, or Glad, and Diantha, both formidable Dae fighters." He gestured to the two brightly dressed young women. "Finally, Rasul is a vampire from the palace and he will be joined by several more palace vampires. They are being selected and sent to us for the fight. Peter Threadgill is also sending a team of vampires to assist." He heard collective murmurs of approval from the group. "Now I will turn this over to the Colonel to discuss the plans for the day tomorrow.

"Thank you Sheriff." Before moving to the Dais, he nodded at Pam. "Pam is handing out photos of Hallow taken from the security cameras here. My pack, I need you to be sure you can identify this woman." He moved to the center of the dais. "Tomorrow, several Weres and the two Dae will be stationed near the bridal salon with Sookie. Our hope is to identify the witches, gather information from their thoughts, and plant tracking devices on any automobiles. It's my understanding that Octavia and her assistant Amelia are working on a charm to protect all of us from being spelled." He turned to the two witches in attendance. "Is there an ETA?"

Octavia spoke. "Yes, we need a personal object from everyone that can be worn: necklaces, earrings and rings work best. Bracelets work in a pinch, but if you're in a combat situation, bracelets can be broken to easily. If you don't have something like that, anything you can hold onto your body easily will work." With a quick nod from Octavia, Amelia moved to a table and unpacked her bag. "Amelia will take each item and keep it in a labeled bag. We'll spell the items and they'll be returned to you before we leave tonight for the day walkers; the vampire items will be ready by first dark tomorrow."

"Excellent. Let's plan the stake out for tomorrow."

The group met for another two hours planning the specifics for the next day including locations of the team members near the bridal salon and the cars that would follow the witches in a tag team fashion. The vampires were unable to plan anything specific until after the reconnaissance mission was complete, so they provided strategy tips were possible. By 5AM Sookie was flagging and Eric needed to get her to sleep for as long as possible, Alcide was picking her up at 9:30 to be in place when the bridal salon opened. He decided to end the meeting. "The team that is watching the bridal salon has to be in place early, I suggest we break for the night so they can rest." The group nodded. "We'll meet as a group tomorrow at 2AM again. Alcide, Flood, I'll meet you at my house at 7PM tomorrow to plan?"

Both men agreed and the group disbanded for the night. Eric took Sookie home and got her to sleep as quickly as possible.

OOOoooOOOooo

"You ready Sweets?"

"Yeah, do you have the fake glasses?" She asked as she headed into the foyer.

"I do. WHOA! You look completely different as a brunette. I'm not sure you need the glasses as a disguise."

"Yeah, Eric ran out for the hair color after I was asleep last night. I'd rather be safe than sorry. That witch didn't look directly at me but I'm not taking a chance. Besides, it's one of those products that will wash out quickly so it was an easy decision. Let's get going."

"Where are the Dae girls?"

"They drove over early just in case. They don't need sleep like us."

"Must be nice."

"Really. I drank a ton of coffee to get myself going this morning. Thank God we got have the empty store front next to the bridal shop to hang out. I'll be peeing all morning." She cringed. "I just said that out loud didn't I?"

"Uh, yeah." He chuckled at her.

Alcide had them parked behind the strip mall that contained the bridal salon and he rushed them into the empty store. The strip mall was owned by a Were so they really lucked out on a stake out location. Diantha and Glad were already in place and reported that there was no activity in the parking lot or the shop. "Alcide, where are the other Weres?"

"They'll be taking turns across the street in various cars. The chase cars are in place up one block in both directions with the second leg of the chase ready to go as well. Everyone is in communication via Bluetooth."

"What's that?"

"It's a wireless communication method. Eric was able to get prototypes of the 1.2 version that's not due to be released until next year. The chase cars each have a 'sister' contact for switching out cars. They all wear the Bluetooth device and with an open phone call via their mobile phone and hear and talk to each other Once one car moves out of the chase, the drivers for the next switch off call each other." He shrugged indicating it wasn't such a big deal. "Walkies are good but don't have the same range."

"Is there anywhere Eric isn't connected?"

"I don't think so Sweets. He owns one of the telecommunication companies that are part of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group."

She shook her head at that information. "Of course he owns the technology. He's like a big boy with his toys." She put her hands out to her side and asked, "so what do we do now?"

"Now, we wait. I packed a folding table, we can play cards. I'll get it."

"That was a great idea."

Alcide received a text after they'd been playing for about 2 hours. "Sweets, they just pulled in."

She focused quickly on the heads outside, catching their thoughts right away. "Ok, I hear three of them?" He nodded. "So Glad is outside to try to drum up conversation?"

"Yes, she's in place."

Sookie listened:

'_Place looks closed. Good, maybe we can go home. I don't want to be here, I didn't sign up for hurting people physically.'_

_'Where is SHE! She must have run. COWARD!' _

_'I want my son. I can't believe our coven was taken over by this evil witch_.'

Sookie knew that voice. Holly from Merlotte's was here? And it sounded like she was being coerced. Maybe this was an 'in'."

"Jeez!" Glad started. "I had a fitting appointment today. I wonder where they are." She turned to the witches that had shown up on at the door to the bridal salon. "Did you have an appointment too?"

Hallow responded, keeping up their rouse. "Yes, this is bad business. My bridal gown is in there!"

"Oh – that's horrible. It's only my bridesmaid dress, but to have a bridal dress in there?" She paused as if in thought. "Maybe we should go report them or something? We might have better luck together."

"I don't know if we need to report them today. There may just be a sickness."

"True. Are you local? Where do you live, maybe we can check in with each other in a day or so?"

'_YES!_' Sookie thought. '_Glad's questions got her the information she needed_.' She closed her eyes to focus.

Hallow left after sharing a fake mobile number with Glad. After driving around the area for a while to ensure she wasn't followed, Glad returned. Sookie smiled widely at her. "You were perfect. I have a location, an actual phone number for her and more details about their plans." The smile turned to a frown. "Right now though" she turned to Alcide, "Alcide tell your contacts she's heading to the Hair of the Dog when they open later to threaten someone named Amanda."

Alcide picked up the phone and made a call in warning. Once the information was delivered, he turned his attention back to Sookie. "What else?"

Demonstrating her complete disgust at their thoughts, Sookie's mouth screwed up before she spoke. "They are also using witches against their will. I know one voice was a woman from Merlotte's, my old job. She was thinking about wanting her son back when this was all over. I don't want those being forced to participate to be hurt."

"Can you reach out to her?"

"Let's talk about it back at the house. I need some food, and I want to plan that call carefully."

"Sure. Potts has lunch prepared."

They arrived at the house and tucked in for lunch. "So, I'm not sure how Holly will react to a call out of the blue. I mean, it's been months since we spoke. If she acts like it's odd, Hallow might pick up on that."

"So you have a house or mobile number for her?"

"House, but I'm sure I can get a mobile number from Sam. You're thinking a text aren't you?"

"Yes. Well possibly. Tell me about the other stuff you heard."

"Well, the spell they want to put on Eric is that same one – a memory wipe. Hallow also plans to offer Eric a reduced fee for sex. That'll happen over HER DEAD body." The group chuckled. "They use local 'good witches' to build their energy in these areas. Hallow was thinking about her brother as well." Sookie returned to her lunch for a few bites. "That's it for now. HEY! Can we get Octavia and Amelia to help us with the identifying the good witches maybe?"

"I'll call them."

Once Octavia and Amelia arrived, Sookie shared her information and asked if there was a way to help the 'good witches'. Octavia struggled with an answer and Sookie grew frustrated. "Sookie, I'm not saying no, but I need to research more. I promise I will look into this before we meet tonight."

"Thank you." With a glance at her watch she announced, "it's only 2 now. Do we need to do anything right now? I really want a nap."

"Lightweight."

Sookie gasped at Potts. "Says the daemon that can survive on 4 hours sleep." She stood to leave the table. "I'll see you guys later."

"Sweet dreams sweets."

OOOoooOOOooo

Eric enjoyed rising next to his purring fiancée. Her warm, naked body was tucked in so close; they could've been the same person. Her hot little breaths were blowing on his chest where her head was facing. Her soft hair was fanned out over the arm she'd maneuvered around her head. Heaven. He was in Heaven. They had until 7PM before the meeting would begin and it was just after 4. He decided they had plenty of time for some fun so he let her sleep for now. _'I should do some work, but I'm just enjoying her warmth. I'll stay here.'_

An hour later she started to stir so he took advantage and put her on her back; positioning himself between her legs. She was still mostly asleep as he spread her fully and started licking her awake. Her moans started first then a hand went to his hair. He lifted his head for a moment. "You were wet before I made my way to your pussy, were you dreaming about me?"

"Mmmmm always."

"What were we doing in your dreams?" As he expected, her blush grew deeper. "Tell me min älskade."

She bit her lip, knowing she couldn't lie, and told him. "You were . . . you were watching." In embarrassment, her eyes turned away.

"Watching?" Then it dawned on him and he smiled. Another of his fantasies was about to come true. "Oh Sookie, I would very much like to watch. Will you touch yourself; make yourself cum while I watch?" It took her a moment to make eye contact and when she did, he made a pleading face and begged, "please?" His smile grew even wider when she nodded and he leaned back to improve his view. Nervous but determined to follow through, she slowly moved her hands down her body keeping her eyes on Eric's. His eyes moved continuously from her eyes to her hands, not wanting to miss anything: The way she bit her lip, the slight tremble of her fingers as she moved along her body and the ever present blush that occurred anytime she was aroused. The fact that he could feel both her lust and her slight reluctance pleased Eric since she was doing this at his request, but she was still enjoying it. As her fingers made their way lower, he gave up the fight with himself over maintaining constant eye contact and instead focused on her actions. She did not disappoint. Starting out timid and growing with confidence, she worked her clit then pushed her fingers in and out of her entrance. His erection grew harder as he watched them slide out, slick with her juices. Her moaning started next and Eric lost it. He dove in, replacing her fingers with his tongue and finishing her work quickly. While she calmed down, he moved up her body again. "Sookie, that was beautiful."

"Eric." She admonished while her blush grew and she slapped his arm. "Don't embarrass me more."

"You don't need to be embarrassed. I enjoyed that very much. I want to see that again, maybe even control myself and let you finish on your own."

"We'll see. Now I want a reward." His eyebrows rose. "Make love to me before we have to deal with business."

"Gladly."

OOOoooOOOooo

They left their chamber to prepare for the planning meeting with their colleagues. In his commander mode, Eric stood at the head of the dining room table where they were assembled and led the meeting. Flood was on his left hand side, Sookie to the right. "Sookie, what did you learn?"

"I heard several things:

*The address and phone number for Hallow – and her real name is Marnie by the way.

*That witches are being coerced to work with Hallow

*A threat to the owner of the Hair of the Dog

*Details about the spell they want to put on you – the one that wipes your memories

and

*That Hallow also plans to offer you a reduced fee for sex

"That's quite a bit of information from one encounter min kära."

"Glad's conversation really helped direct her thoughts." She smiled at the daemon across the table.

Directing his gaze to Alcide, he asked. "Based on the information gathered, do we have any plans in place?"

Standing to provide his update, Alcide started. "With Sookie's help, we found the warehouse serving as the witches' stronghold. We have eyes on it now."

"Excellent. Do we know what the brother looks like?"

"We do. We're tracking the front and back doors to determine whether they are both inside. We also warned the owner of the Hair of the Dog to stay away for the moment, using a vacation as an excuse."

"We need to move quickly. If we keep hiding their next targets, they'll be suspicious." Several heads nodded in agreement.

Octavia stood to take over. "Amelia and I have found a way to identify the unwilling witches."

Sookie was excited by this. "How?"

"We'll need to be close during whatever invasion or fight you have planned so we can perform a chant. It will light up the witches in the coven that are there unwillingly." She looked around the table to ensure they all understood. "You won't have much time to identify them. The chant will need to be continuous and will drain our energy. We can last 15 maybe 20 minutes I predict."

Flood addressed this concern. "We understand. I would hope with the resources we have joining us we won't need all of that time. Thank you for your work."

"Eric," Sookie jumped in. "One of the witches being coerced was a fellow waitress from Merlotte's. We were trying to figure out if I should try to call her or not."

"How close were you when you worked together? Did you call her outside of work?"

"Not really. That was my concern: That I would reach out to her when she was too close to a 'bad witch' and she would react."

"I agree I think we need to leave this potential off the table." He turned back to Octavia. "The protection charm, it will work against any spell? This memory wiping spell for example?"

"My best answer is: It should. If she for any reason suspects an anti-spell charm, she could work around it."

Eric was quiet for a moment, the group at the table watching and waiting, but he didn't care that he was under scrutiny while he pulled his plans together. Sookie could feel his determination, anger, regret, concern and finally his resolve. It was after she felt the resolve that he spoke. "We need to guarantee that Hallow and her brother are in the warehouse and if they are, we attack: Tonight."

There was some murmuring of concern around the table and Flood stopped it. "I agree. Another day won't give us much more intel. I would say the only thing we're missing is how many witches there are in total. The Weres watching the warehouse have seen some traffic, but there's no way of knowing how many there are in total."

Sookie spoke up. Eric knew this was coming so he remained quiet. "I can get the total."

Potts and Alcide both barked out, "NO!"

Eric stayed quiet to let her make her own arguments. She needed to participate, as much as it killed him, she couldn't be sheltered from everything. "You know damn well I can count the brains in the warehouse, get a bead on the good versus bad before our witches start their chant, AND I can confirm that Hallow and her brother haven't left without our knowledge." She turned to Flood. "No offense against your Were's James."

"Understood, they could easily have a masking spell or alternative exit. It's a good idea."

Sookie was reeling. Scared and exhilarated at the same time to be part of the fight. Any second, she was sure, any second Eric would jump into the conversation and say 'no', but it hadn't happened yet so she sent him a wave of gratitude. She confirmed what she felt was his tacit approval. "So, I'll go ahead and listen, but I how do I tell you my information? What happens next?"

"Yes," Eric stated, he was so proud of his warrior. "You will go first, as close to the building as you can then text me the confirmation of Hallow and her brother, the total number of minds and anything else you can hear. Then you will wait for us to move into position. I want you fighting back to back with someone at all times." He thought about the resources for the fight and made his decision. "I'll pair you with Rasul." After seeing her confusion, he explained. "If you're paired back to back with me, I can't react quickly and I can't see if you need extra help. Your focus will be finding the good witches and securing them from the fight."

"I got it."

She sent waves of happiness at his comments. Knowing he wasn't trying to talk her out of the fight had her almost giddy with happiness, but she kept it to herself since everyone in the room was so serious. "When do we attack?"

"Midnight. That gives us a few hours to gather our resources. They should be in the area already as we were planning to meet at Fangtasia later tonight. I'll text the address of a safehouse for us to meet and make final plans at 11PM. We'll head out from there."

They broke up the meeting at the house so everyone could contact their particular resources and plan. Once alone, Eric asked Sookie to take some extra blood to build up her strength. "Sure Eric, but I want you to feed too." They were seated in the den, and the house was empty. "We have two hours before we need to meet up with everyone and I find myself with some extra energy. Perhaps we can exchange and make use of that energy at the same time?"

"Is it warm enough for you outside?"

"Looking for a little exhibition?"

"The chaise on the back porch is well hidden from the property perimeter, so our guards won't see anything."

"But they can hear."

"Sookie, with as loud as you are, they've already heard plenty while we've been inside the house. We've already had a campout, remember?" The look on her face was priceless as he carried her out back for their exchange working very hard to contain his laugh.

OOOoooOOOooo

As planned, the fighters met to engage the witches a few hours later. Eric led the group. "Everyone is ready?" They all nodded. "Very well, we'll meet up at our posts as soon as I have texted out the details from Sookie." He turned to Rasul and Potts. "I'm counting on you to guard Sookie while she approaches the building."

Potts spoke for both of them. "We won't let you down."

Thirty minutes later they arrived in a run-down part of Shreveport where the warehouse was located. The area surrounding the warehouse felt creepy to Sookie, she just couldn't think of a better word. The warehouse itself was boarded up for the most part with some lights peeking their way out of the gaps in the boards. According to the Colonel, the warehouse was abandoned so the vamps could walk right in. Knowing that relieved one of her concerns. With Potts and Rasul, she approached the warehouse from about two blocks away on foot. By the time they were in the parking lot hiding behind a dumpster she had counted 22 minds inside, including Hallow, a male Were near her and her friend Holly inside. She texted the information to Eric and waited for him to arrive.

Once Eric was with them at the front door and the witches began their chant Eric kicked the door in. The screaming, snarling and hissing started immediately as the fighters forced themselves into the building from the front and back entrances. As promised by Octavia, several of the women in the group were glowing so Sookie started herding them up towards a back corner. While gathering, she did have a short skirmish with a non-glowing witch, but with her blades she forced her back. The witch attacked again and Sookie was forced to spin and cut her throat while Rasul and Potts took down another that started chanting towards the good witches. After a few minutes, all the glowing good witches were collected into a corner and Sookie, Potts and Rasul took a protective stance in front of the group.

Seeing that she was just in danger, Sookie was quite calm as she watched the fighting in front of her. She could see Hallow and Pam fighting and Pam was quite excited, easily overpowering the witch. There were already plenty of others ready to step in, but their group had the witches significantly outnumbered. Just a moment later, the fight between Pam and Hallow was over and Hallow was bound in chains. Sookie knew she would be needed soon to help get the spell details from her brain. Since the room was relatively quiet, she scanned to take in the final tally. Two vampire puddles were on the far side but she had no idea who had died – finally. There was one naked man and he appeared in pretty bad shape. Alcide was standing near him looking grim. Continuing her scan, she noticed Eric was making his way towards her and she smiled briefly before she pointed to the scene to the side. Alcide was speaking to some other members of the pack, all naked from having shifted back and the expressions conveyed bad news so she approached them. On her way over, she heard it from Alcide and Peter's heads: Colonel Flood had died in the fight. "I'm sorry." She spoke out to the group. "He was a good man."

"Yes Sookie, he was." Alcide confirmed.

She squeezed his shoulder and approached Eric. "Min kära, you did well."

"I only had to fight off one witch and Rasul had my back."

"I was watching. That you fought and fought well for someone new to combat was impressive. Don't underestimate yourself."

Before she could respond, she heard Pam call to her. "Sookie, can you come over here and help with the spell?"

"Sure Pam." Sookie approached the naked, bleeding and bound Hallow to read her mind. As insurance, her brother was kept alive and restrained by Rasul.

"Sookie, can you question Hallow?"

"I won't answer questions!" Hallow yelled.

Pam nodded to Rasul and he in turn raised a knife to hurt the witch, but Sookie stopped him. "Rasul, I can't have her distracted by the pain. " Sookie saw Hallow smile almost as if in victory, so she added. "You can hurt her all you want when we are done with the Q and A portion of our evening.

Glaring down at the witch Pam threatened, "you WILL answer Sookie's questions." She looked to Sookie. "Go ahead."

With her telepathy, there was no need for the torture. Pam knew this and she still was going to let Rasul cut her. They would have words about this later. Pushing that issue out of her mind, she stood tall before the with and started her questions. "Hallow, how do we reverse the spell on Sheriff Baldar in Arkansas." She made notes on a tablet that had been provided.

"What other spells are in place in Arkansas and Louisiana already?" More notes.

"Are there any people in danger that you used as collateral for the witches in the corner?" With her final notes taken she turned to Pam.

"I need to check for something, I'll be right back." She returned quickly with a spell book and checked for the entries in her notes. "I think I have what I need. Anything else Pam?"

"Could you consult with Octavia before I end these two?"

Hallow was angry but not angry enough to squelch her curiosity. "What are you writing? Why are you asking questions and I never answered? You don't smell like magic so you aren't a witch."

Sookie got in her face and answered. "Because you stupid witch, I'm a telepath. I've known your plans since you first walked into Fangtasia. I don't mind telling you my secret because in a few short minutes, you won't be alive to share the information."

The consult with Octavia was quick: Using the spellbook and Sookie's notes, the Arkansas Sherriff's memory was restored. Hallow and her brother were no longer needed. Not wanting to see anymore violence than necessary, Sookie left the area for the final act of the evening. A short while later, Pam walked by her as she was waiting outside singing. "Ding Dong' the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low."

Sookie continued in her off-key voice. "Let them know . . . The Wicked Witch is dead!"

**A/N**

She's gone where the goblins go – the chapter title is from the song DING DONG! THE WITCH IS DEAD / The Wizard of Oz. Just trying to throw in the hint at the beginning – kudos of you got that one. M


	42. The Sunshine State

**THANK YOU THANK YOU if you voted for my story. I won the popular vote for I Write the Songs and I was flying high on that one - while stuck working late most nights. Thanks a bunch.**

**I have lots of drama where I'm writing now (Chapters 45 plus AKA Vegas) that we may be looking at weekly only updates (which is kinda what's been happening, but I haven't had time to explain.) Even now, I have stuff ready to flow from my fingertips for Chapter 47, but I knew you would all hate me for not posting this weekend.**

**This title should have been called Stew or that Prego sauce cause it seems like it has everything in it - titling it was the hardest part. So we cover April here.**

**Starting with Chapter 42, I have dresses picked to show off, so if you like to see what I was thinking when trying to describe fashion (Something I can't do), you might want to move to reading to my wordpress site (check out my profile). If you move there though, you have to promise to leave comments just like you'd leave a review.**

**Cause I'm a comment and review whore like that.**

**Enjoy**

**~M**

Chapter 41 – The Sunshine State

April 2, 2004

"So Pop-tart, when do you see that doctor to get the baby inserted?"

"Wednesday and it doesn't work like that. This first appointment is just a consult."

"Will Ludwig be at your appointment?"

"Yes, since she made the referral."

"Why did it take so long to get on his schedule?"

"This guy, Doctor Finard, is very popular. He's well known with humans in general, but he is one of the only fertility doctors that knows about and caters to Weres. So he'll be good about working with Eric and Ludwig has given him background that I'm not 100% human. He doesn't have all the details just that information."

"And he practices in this state? What are the chances of that?"

"I know. It's like he was meant to be – maybe even a sign." Sookie's eyes were bright as she spoke. This made Pam happy. Sookie was often happy these days, but the excitement about seeing the fertility specialist was apparent.

"What happens next?"

"I won't know more until after we meet with him." She paused seeing her friend's face; then added. "You'll know everything after that Brat!"

"You're telling him we want a girl so we can name her Pam."

"PAM!

"When can we start on the nurseries?"

"PAM! I know Eric spoke to you about this. The process for having a viable pregnancy through artificial insemination can take time. Please don't add to the pressure by talking nurseries."

"But Alcide needs to know how to finish the lower level on your Tara house."

"The bedrooms on the lower level are being painted in a neutral color for now. Drop it or I WON'T tell you about the visit."

Pam's eyes went wide knowing Sookie meant her words. Her hands went up in defeat. "I'll behave! I promise."

"Hmmm, baby information makes you compliant? I'll need to use this."

"Bitch!"

"Chupacabra!" She laughed at herself dragging Pam with her. Once she settled down Sookie left the room telling Pam, "I need to finish my paper for school. I'll see you later Pam."

"Later Sookie."

OOOoooOOOooo

The next week, Sookie and Eric headed to their first fertility appointment. "Sookie, I think you're walking faster than I can."

"I'm just excited Sweetie."

"That you are."

They signed in at the receptionist counter and were almost immediately called by the doctor himself. "Good evening Miss Stackhouse, Mr. Northman, Amy. I'm excited to be working with you." He led them down the hall to his office.

"We're pleased to meet you Doctor Finard." They exchanged handshakes while Sookie continued. "Excited? What did Dr. Ludwig tell you?" She looked to Dr. Ludwig and she just shrugged her shoulders.

"Amy, er Dr. Ludwig gave me a thorough medical background, but you're a legend with some of my other Were patients. I have a list of Pack members from Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas Packmasters. When your name appeared on all the lists, I asked why. They had to explain 'Friend of the Pack' status to me, but they all consider you as a member."

"I don't know what to say about that."

"Just know I think my reputation will grow if I'm able to help you so I'm especially motivated for our success Miss Stackhouse."

"That sounds good to me. You can call us Sookie and Eric."

"Thank you, I'm Harold. I work very personally with my patients and I like being on a first name basis." He sat behind his desk now that the introductions are over. Sookie noticed a picture on his credenza and asked about it. "That's my family: My wife, Angie and son, Michael."

"They're beautiful."

"Thank you."

"You'll meet them, rather my wife starting your next appointment." He paused. "That is, if it's OK with you. My wife worked as my nurse before we had our son and since we'll be meeting at night when my staff is gone. . ."

"Say no more that'll be fine doctor. We appreciate that you're accommodating our schedule. In fact, we can ensure one of our guards is available to stay with Michael for the appointments if you'd like."

"That'd be one less thing to worry about since we don't have family in the area or sitters at the ready."

"Then it's settled."

"Shall we start with the visit?" In sync, Eric and Sookie nodded. He pulled a packet of materials and a pile of pictures out. "I like to start with a description of the Intrauterine Insemination process, also known as IUI or artificial insemination. Will that work for you?"

"Yes, please. We've done some reading, but we want to understand your methods and how this will work for us personally."

"Your first visits will be establishing your cycle." Pulling out a sheet that looked like a calendar he described it. "I'll need you to log certain factors on a daily basis. You'll use this chart for that. To track your egg production and hormones, you'll be here for ultrasounds and blood work frequently so we can establish a baseline. I won't know if you need any fertility drugs until we learn more."

Ludwig interjected. "I can assist with any blood draws or other tests as needed since I can pop over to your house and have the tests to the lab within minutes."

"Thank you Dr. Ludwig." Eric offered. Hearing 'polite Eric' still caused Ludwig to chuckle, internally of course.

Harold continued. "After we establish a baseline we determine if medication will be used. We can enhance your ovulation and produce multiple eggs at once via Clomid for example. Once you're ovulating as needed, we can have you in for the actual insemination with the donor sperm. As you have already selected the donor, the sperm is here now and will be ready when you are." Harold continued outlining the process for Sookie and Eric using the stack of images.

All of Eric and Sookie's questions were answered and she left with instructions on tracking her cycle and recommendations for nutrition and activity. The pamphlet she laughed at was about reducing stress in her life. When they reached the car and Eric asked what was funny and she indicated the impossibility of reducing stress he got serious. "We'll do it Sookie. I don't care if I have to lock you away somewhere." She started to protest and he cut her off. "This is important Sookie. It's our chance for a FAMILY. Are you going to risk that?"

Sookie was furious. "Don't start with that. You will put pressure on me that not getting pregnant is MY FAULT! Eric, we can talk about this, but you're getting into control mode."

"I'm not trying to control your life and I'm not trying to set you up as the bad guy if we don't get pregnant. I just worry that you take on too much."

"That's not what you said! You threatened to . . ."

"Skirt."

The strange word in the middle of the conversation stopped her. "What?"

"Skirt."

She burst out laughing. "Oh my God – that worked. I'm still mad at your comment, but" she giggled, "you just took the wind out of my sails." He laughed with her for a moment.

"We'll figure it out. I just mean we'll deny requests for your services when we can. To be sure we can do that; we'll need to let Sophie-Anne know what's going on." He backed the car from the parking spot and got on the road to Fangtasia as he had work to do for the night.

"That's fine. Hadley will know when I talk to her about it anyway."

"That's still going OK, right? She's not being mean on the calls?"

"She has some moments, but overall it's good."

"That's good, I'm happy for you Sookie." They were quiet for a moment until he spoke up again. "How are your new plants doing?"

"My little Frankenstein's?"

"Yes."

"Well, after speaking with my horticulture mentor, Tom, he believes they are ready to be moved into the gardens. I'll do that next week."

"I wish you would let me expand the landscaper's duties to the gardens again. You work far too hard."

"Gardening isn't work. It actually helps me relax."

"Then the house, can I have the cleaners back? Hire them for Gran's? Can you give in on something?"

"Am I going to need to call 'skirt' like you did?"

"No, this is us calmly talking about it." He reached for her hand. "Let's list what you do."

"Ok."

"Cleaning two houses, helping Gran, gardening, taking classes, preparing for the Summit, training with Potts . . ."

"We have the consulting engagement in Florida and a trip planned to do human screenings in Arkansas."

"And planning our Pledging for June." He rubbed the back of her hand. "Sookie, that's a lot especially when you have to take care of very needy vampire at night."

"You're right." She paused. "You ARE needy."

He laughed at her dig. "And you're stubborn. Can we take cleaning our house and Gran's off that list for a start?"

Gritting her teeth at the idea she replied with a curt "Fine, but you tell Gran."

"I don't think she'll have a problem with my hiring cleaners to take the responsibility off your plate when I tell her it's all for the great grandbaby."

"You're both going to be impossible with this." She thought for a moment while he laughed out his agreement. "You know, our Summit presentation is almost done, we just need to add in the 'live Florida case study' details after we meet with them."

"True, but don't tell me that presentation isn't a stressor. You've told me many times that you're nervous about speaking in public."

"Ok, but we can't back out, only deal with it - which is why we planned the dry-run with Alcide's pack and some vampires."

"Ok, so the presentation is as handled as can be. Gardening."

"Tread lightly dear . . ."

"Your Frankenstein's and new already planned plantings but the rest is the landscape company."

"I'll agree if we reevaluate after the Summit and our Pledging."

"Agreed." He smiled as he parked the car. "See, no 'skirt' needed. This is working."

"Yes smarty, but remember the 'skirt word' was my idea."

"Yes dear. We'll continue this discussion with Pam in the office since I want to discuss the Pledging."

Immediately after they walked into the office, Pam pounced on them about the doctor's visit. "So, what did the doctor say?"

Sookie turned to Eric so he could tell her. "We really only covered the process of IUI . . ."

"What's IUI?"

"The procedure we're having: Intrauterine Insemination." She nodded. "Our first steps are for Sookie to understand her cycle then we decide on any fertility drugs and when she's ready and ovulating, he does the procedure."

"You make it sound easy."

"The process itself is simple, the successes aren't always immediate." He gave her a pointed look while speaking to remind her of the conversation they already had.

"I know. I'm going to behave."

"Well, actually, you can help."

Pam's whole face lit up. "WHAT CAN I DO? Just tell me."

"Sookie is reducing her workload and stressors. For example, I'm rehiring the cleaning staff for our house and hiring a team for Gran's."

"REALLY?! I never thought I'd see that day." Sookie blew her a raspberry. "How does that involve me? I don't do windows, or toilets, or dust for that matter. Although . . . I will DO hot red heads in French Maid Uniforms."

Ignoring the uniform comment, Eric continued. "Well ladies, how about we have Sookie in charge of the Pledging Ceremony decisions, but Pam will be executing."

Pam gasped in excitement. Sookie gasped as well, but for another reason. "WE. DID. NOT. AGREE. TO. THAT!"

"I didn't say you did. I'm suggesting it and you can make me an alternate proposal." Sookie calmed down first realizing his words were true, he was just suggesting it – not ordering it. To be fair, she thought hard about his idea. Taking Eric's words literally, the decisions were still hers, and much of the work was already done. Did it matter if she tracked the incoming RSVPs or worked with the caterer directly? Not really. She huffed but agreed. "I thought so." He got the raspberry that time.

OOOoooOOOooo

Later in April Eric and Sookie traveled to Florida for their consulting engagement. To make the most out of the trip, they added a few days of fun by hosting Remy and Hunter in Disneyworld.

"I'm glad you talked me into this Sookie. I never thought Hunter would get to enjoy Disney like other kids."

"I am too Remy. Look at how much fun he's having." The two were talking while they waited for Eric and Hunter to exit a ride. Sookie had selected to sit under a tree, away from any crowds so they could have a talk. "And having Hunter's guards, hasn't been a problem. They've been really good about staying vigilant but out of sight. Are the day guys good too?"

"Yep, same for the day guards. You were right; we really don't know they are around anymore." He was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "You know, it'll be hard to get him back on normal hours next week though. All these late nights."

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate your adjusting his sleep so Eric and I could both enjoy Hunter's first trip to Disney." She waved in front of her.

"It's been a great trip for us. Hunter has really enjoyed this and Eric being able to help him with quiet even around all these people made it all possible. It's been something I never could have done even if I could afford the trip. The silence Sookie, it's something I can never give him. And when I think about what I've thought about him?" He lowered his head and shook it in shame.

"Remy, I won't lie. Your thoughts at our first meeting made me cringe. But look how far you've come. Hunter sees that. He knows you're working real hard to make a better life for him now that you've started learning more about his telepathy."

"He really does see me trying?"

"He does." She paused. "Remy, what if there was a way for you to be silent to Hunter?"

"Are you serious?"

"There is a possible way."

"Tell me."

Eric, her Uncle Des and Sookie had spoken at length about Remy taking some daemon blood in the hopes it would create a buffer to telepathy much like Gran had. There was no guarantee it would work since so many circumstances were different, but she felt she owed it to Hunter and Remy to explore it. The other concern was explaining it since Remy had NOT been told about the source of the telepathy. Sookie carefully offered the potential remedy as the three of them had discussed. "My Gran was able to block her thoughts from me. It was a . . . a tonic she took before she gave birth to my father. So it's a bit different seeing that Hunter is already born. My grandfather knew telepathy was a potential family trait, and he knew of this tonic."

"What tonic? What you're talking about sounds like folklore, not science."

'_Ok, here goes_.' "It IS more like folklore Remy; it's not a prescription you can get from your doctor. This is something that goes along with the discussions about the supernatural word we've been discussing and I can't really explain all of it. Heck I can't say that I understand how it works, but I wanted you to know there was an option, or at least a potential."

"What will it do, are there side effects?"

Again, she, Eric and Uncle Des discussed this. Unless Remy had a baby with another fairy hybrid, there were no side effects. So she felt confident telling him, "no, no side effects. It will either work, or won't for you to block from Hunter."

"I don't know. I need to think on it."

"Sure. I know I'm asking you to make a leap of faith with me. You can talk to Gran about it."

"That's a good idea. Thanks for bringing it up Sookie."

"I just want the best for Hunter." She heard the little man calling to them from the ride's exit. "Here they come now." Sookie's tummy flip-flopped seeing Eric and Hunter walking up while holding hands.

"Daddy Daddy! Did you see me and Uncle Eric in our teacup?"

"I did, Aunt Sookie and I got a picture too."

"Wow. I can't believe you didn't want to go on that one Aunt Sookie."

"Yeah, uh that much spinning is not good for me."

"Your loss then. Hey! Let's go. It's a Small World ride is next, right? You guys promised we're all going."

"Yes Hunter."

Eric leaned over and whispered to Sookie, "You know, I've used the song It's a Small World as a torture method. You just need to play it repeatedly."

She giggled. "I think you'll survive it."

He did survive it and when they exited, Remy told Hunter he could pick one more activity to do at the Magic Kingdom. "Carousel!" He said without hesitation. "Pick me up Uncle Eric."

"Please," Reminded Remy.

"Oh yeah, Please pick me up?" He said with his arms raised. Eric looked to Sookie for reassurance. Hunter constantly asked for Eric and he was concerned about Remy's reaction. She simply nodded so he picked the boy up and put him on his shoulders. "WOW, now I'm higher than everybody!" The adults laughed at his wonder.

After Hunter's final spin on the carousel, they headed back to the hotel. Since they were staying at the Boardwalk that was part of Epcot, they had a bit of a trip back. Eric spoiled them by hiring a driver to shuttle them everywhere during the trip. He simply called and a limo was waiting for them at the park exit. Just like the other days, Remy commented on the spoiling. "You guys are too much. Even if I return here with Hunter it won't be the same since we'd be stuck on the Disney busses."

Sookie grinned. "Welcome to the world of spoiling by Eric Northman."

Once in their room, Sookie changed into a nightshirt and thick socks. Eric raised his eyebrows. "Ok, I get that you wear them in the winter," he pointed to her feet "but it's pretty hot. It hit 90 today."

"Yeah, so hot that the air conditioning is cranked and the bath and kitchen in this suite have tile floors. My toes get too cold."

"I'm calling Alcide. I want radiant heat installed in every floor at the new house."

"They aren't that ugly."

"It's what they're hiding that I don't like."

"I'm changing the subject. . . . Did you have fun?"

"I did. But as I mentioned last night, I was concerned at the number of rides where Hunter wanted to sit with me and not his father, or when he constantly asked me to carry him."

"And I told you last night that Remy and I spoke about it. He can't deny his son would have a better time if he could relax his shields. He just can't spend the day at a theme park having them up the whole time. You give Hunter that opportunity. I also spoke with Remy about the potential 'fix' for him." Eric raised an eyebrow urging her to continue. "He's going to talk to Gran about it. That's the best I could ask for." She could see he was still unsure of Hunter's actions. "Eric, he's fine with Hunter being so attached to you, I promise. You just provide the quiet he needs." She jumped on his back as he headed to the bedroom in their suite. "You're a telepath magnet."

"I might be the magnet, but you're the one that attracted me."

"OOOh, that's a good line. We should write that one down."

OOOoooOOOooo

The next night, they explored Epcot starting on the World Showcase side. After visiting all the countries, they were headed to the future world side. Sookie knew that Hunter loved Nemo so she saved that section of the theme park for last. He made it to The Seas quickly and dragged them all through the aquarium features followed by a visit to Turtle Time with Crush. After that he kept calling everyone dude as they stood in line for the Nemo ride. When they got to front of the line, as he'd been doing he asked, "Uncle Eric, you're riding in the clam with me, right dude?"

He chuckled as he answered the toddler. "Of course Hunter."

Remy and Sookie talked in their 'clamobile' as they rode. "So, your plane leaves tomorrow?"

"Yes, I'm back to work on Tuesday, and Hunter has daycare. He's going to be so excited to tell everyone about his trip." He took Sookie's hand. "I can't thank you enough. The change is remarkable. He has friends, play dates even, well ones with other kids his age, not just play dates at Aunt Sookie." They both laughed. "He doesn't come home with a headache and the adults have commented that he is much calmer and happier." He sighed and brought up the topic from last night. "I guess that's why I'm seriously considering the tonic you mentioned, though it scares me and I'm pretty sure there's stuff you aren't telling me." He looked at Sookie and she gave nothing away so he continued. "I guess I'll just respect the need to keep some things secret and hope that if it impacts Hunter you'll tell me."

For that, she gave a tiny nod of acknowledgement. "I was serious about talking to Gran though Remy. If you choose to try this, you only need to tell me that and I'll get the tonic."

"Thanks, not just for the tonic, but for everything."

"I'm just happy I could help. Preventing him from growing up with the prejudice and loneliness that I had is all the thanks I need." She pointed to the end. "We'd better get ready to hop off this clam." She giggled.

Hunter and Eric stepped off the Nemo ride and waited for Remy and Sookie to exit their own 'clamobile'. "Daddy Daddy, didya see the jellyfish?"

"I did Hunter."

"Can we do this ride again?"

"We have time for one more thing before fireworks, and since it's your last night here, pick a good one."

"We're still here tomorrow!"

"We're sleeping here and taking a flight out before lunch Hunter. This is your last time in one of the parks."

Hunter scrunched up his face as he thought about it. Then he knew. "Turtle Talk with Crush, dudes!"

They all laughed as Remy answered. "Ok son, lead the way."

They enjoyed the attraction one last time and parted ways after the fireworks. Remy would be taking Hunter home in the morning, so they said their goodbyes to their hosts. Sookie and Eric had already checked out for the day and walked to their rental cal for the drive north to Ocala, the location of the planned Vampire and Were meetings.

"Do you want the top down?" The rental he selected was a Porsche Boxster in a deep wine color and Sookie jumped up and down when she first saw it. He considered purchasing her one, but a convertible was just too much of a security risk for her when he wasn't around. He could fly her out of a convertible if they were being chased or attacked; the Were guards during the day obviously could not.

"You bet. I love riding in a convertible and it's such a nice night." The roof was lowered and they got in the car to pull out. Sookie turned to Eric as he drove out of the parking lot and rubbed her hand over his thigh affectionately. "Sweetie, you were wonderful with Hunter. It made me want to speed up this fertility process."

"I know, but it will take as long as it takes min älskade. We must have patience."

"I know."

They were quiet for a while as he drove. "Our drive is only about 2 hours so we should be there by midnight. Any ideas on what you want to do when we arrive?"

"You said the hotel has an indoor pool?"

"Yes, we can go swimming if you'd like."

"That's why I packed my suit."

"I like it at home when you don't need one."

"You hush." She thought for a while. "You know, I would like to review our meeting plans first; then swim. I don't want it hanging over my head."

"Sookie, we've planned this for a while now. Why are you nervous?"

"I'm a barmaid and someone is paying me to be a consultant. Do you know how daunting that is?"

"Ok, we can do the review while we drive. How's that?"

"Sure, sure."

"So, first, what was our plan to get them to care?"

"Our example, the witch war at home and what happened in Arkansas to the supes there before we were able to take her down by working together."

"Do you know that story? You can tell it?"

"Ah, backwards and forwards."

"Ok, so that's our first meeting, done."

"Right, yes, you're right."

"The next night, we agreed to split up. Alcide is meeting us in Ocala tomorrow, so he will already be introduced the first night. You will both host the Weres to discuss cooperation, good faith, and honestly, common courtesy. I'll be with the vampire sheriffs."

"Right. Alcide and I have a presentation. Or actually, he says," she cleared her throat to impersonate Alcide. "'I'll sit there and dare them to not listen while you give your presentation'."

"Don't try to impersonate the wolf again, it actually hurt my ears." She giggled. "But that's the gist and I give the same presentation to the vampires discussing the same topics."

"We meet together the final night to write out the actual accords, collect their signatures and leave."

"Well, we don't leave; you booked the extra day, right?"

"Yes, I meant we leave the meetings, I booked the plane to depart the next night so we have time for your surprise."

"Yeppers." She smirked but kept her mouth shut about anything more on the surprise.

They arrived at Ocala and checked in quickly. Since they already covered business during the drive, they changed into suits and headed to the pool. Eric pouted that Sookie wasn't in a bikini but she explained. "Eric, we're staying at the hotel where other vampire sheriffs are booked for the meeting. They could also go to the pool. Did you want me in one of my bikinis?"

He grumbled out a no and before she could say anything else, he tossed her into the water then followed. They played and swam and got away with as much groping as they could in the public but empty pool until they retired for the night.

Starting the next night, they held the meetings with the vampires and Weres. As expected, the initial meeting was tense. Some participants had clearly been ordered to attend and there was snarling and hissing between some of the Weres and vampires. Luckily, the recently promoted Queen Antonia of Florida stepped into the room about 20 minutes after the meeting started and reminded the vampires to shut up and listen. "A few months ago, while I was still a Sheriff, Sookie helped us with the Soldiers of the Light situation. You may recall that she was held by Steve Newlin in Dallas and that incident has practically disbanded the Fellowship of the Sun. I know we have some pockets of issues remaining, but that's not her problem. She's human; we are the supernaturals, both vampire and Were, who have benefited from her actions. This woman has my respect and gratitude. I suggest you take advantage of the time you have with both the Northman and his bonded."

While the Were's didn't need to follow her rule, the fact that the vampire queen of their state was taking the meetings so seriously, not to mention paying for them, had a side benefit of stopping the Were's griping as well. From there, Eric and Sookie were able to move through their agenda for all three nights, including the signing of a mutual working relationship contract for Weres and vampires in the state. Alcide accepted the invitation to celebrate with the Weres at a local bar while Sookie and Eric declined.

While taking the elevator down, Eric pushed Sookie against the wall for a searing kiss. "I can't wait to get back to the room and celebrate."

"I agree. Should we swim, drink champagne and blood, go dancing?"

"Ooh, you think you're cute, don't you." Another kiss was delivered leaving Sookie breathless for a moment.

The scent of her arousal filled the elevator as she spoke, "I am cute. But back to our celebrations. What did you have in mind?"

"You're going to be fucked senseless min älskade."

"Exactly."

Before they left the building, Eric's phone was ringing; it was Sophie-Anne. "I hear congratulations are in order for you and your bonded."

"Yes your majesty. The details of their working relationship have been spelled out in a contract that covers each vampire territory and each Were pack."

"Good work. You'll be flying home now?"

"We are staying one more night and will fly home during the night tomorrow for arrival before dawn."

"Very well. In addition to recognizing your success, I called to inform you that Nevada has been calling to inquire about Sookie's work. I don't need to get into the particulars, but I won't approve her to work in Nevada. I've told him that since his state does not recognize Sookie as anything but a pet, I won't put her in the position to work there."

"Thank you your majesty. I had an voice-mail from his assistant Sandy. I guess I know why she called now. Honestly, you saved me from having to deny him directly for the exact same reason."

"Well, he was quite put out and then questioned Sookie's attendance at the Summit. I simply said his state happened to be the host and that she was not there for him or his state in particular. He was not pleased and this concerns me. Sookie would be quite a prize. I want a full layout of your plans for her protection at the Summit by the weekend. I don't want her at risk."

"I've got my plans ready, I will forward to you as soon as I have a moment at my laptop. We are just leaving the meeting rooms now and I will be at the hotel within the hour."

"Excellent, thank you Eric."

"You are welcome my Queen."

After ending the call he turned to Sookie, "the Queen is very pleased with us."

"How did she find out already? Did Queen Antonia call her before the ink was dry?"

"I believe that is the case." Guiding her with his hand on her back, they exited the office building where the meetings were held to walk to their hotel. "I need to get an email out to the Queen when we get back to our room."

"I think I'll soak in our tub."

"Tease."

"I'm not planning to sit there watching you type."

"Don't you have homework?"

"Finished it while you were lying around all day."

"How about your book?"

"Meh, my head hurts, I don't want to read."

"You're teasing is going to get you in trouble." Without warning, he grabbed her, throwing her over his shoulder. She squealed loudly. "I've got you now, my pretty and I'm keeping you on my lap while I type."

He ran through the lobby, to the elevator and their room before he put her down. All the moving while she was upside down made her dizzy so he held her until she had her footing; then he grabbed her and sat at the desk. "You were serious?"

"Sookie, you were going to take a bath without me, drastic measures had to be taken."

"Oh let me go you big baby, I'll wait on the couch while you email the queen."

Once situated on the couch Sookie decided to toy with Eric. Starting with her suit jacket, she slowly stripped down to her underwear. Occasionally, Eric glanced her way to see what she was doing; he would just smirk and continue working on his email to Sophie-Anne. To get his work done quickly he decided he would NOT turn around again. Next, she started moaning. THAT was hard to ignore; but he adjusted his pants and kept writing. A bra flew over and landed on his keyboard and he groaned out "Sookie, you're being bad over there."

"You should turn around and see how bad."

"I'm finishing."

Her panties flew over next, landing on his head. "Ok, I'll just get started over here. Are you started over there?"

To keep his keyboard intact, he needed to concentrate on his reactions. She was really having an effect on him. "You're gonna get it when I'm done."

"Exactly."

He chuckled as he continued work. The e-mail to the Queen had been sent and now he was just checking on some other business emails. It was torture to ignore her, but he wanted to tease her back for her actions. A moment later the scent of her arousal became stronger and he could hear her touching herself. Refraining was hard, literally. It was painful to smell her arousal and hear the noises from her touch and her moans. "Jesus Eric, how long is that email going to take?"

"I'm done the email to the Queen."

"Then get your ass over here."

"No."

"NO?! I can't believe you don't want watch what I'm doing."

"You've been so naughty Sookie. I can't just reward you now. I have to take measures." He could feel a rush of lust in the bond.

She whined back, "Erriicc. Please. I can't believe you don't even want to watch me."

He couldn't believe he wasn't turning around and filming the show but he held strong. "Can't take the teasing Sookie?" Truth was, he could hardly take it either, but this would be so good when he finally gave in.

"What can I do to persuade you to leave that desk?"

"I need a few minutes of peace to finish and I don't think I can trust you. You simply can't be permitted to cum right now since you've been distracting me." He could feel her amusement in addition to lust so he knew she was aware this was all in good fun. "I also didn't pack the turkey ties to keep those hands from my pussy." After spinning his chair to face her, he really pulled out the acting by scratching his chin like he was thinking hard. "I'll need to be creative, you just wait here – and no cumming for you." He waggled his finger in front of her. When he returned he had one of her scarves and one of his ties. Positioning her with her arms above her head and over an arm of the couch, he tied her to an end table. "Now, you stay there until I finish."

"Erriic, hurry."

"As quickly as I can min kära." Inwardly he groaned, he wanted to pounce but the anticipation would build and make their endings even better. He had to fake through work for a few minutes before he couldn't take it anymore himself. "Are you ready for me?"

"Good Lord Eric I'm on fire! Get over here and fuck me."

"Language Sookie. A proper southern lady shouldn't speak like that." To move the game along, he started untying her from the table.

"A proper southern woman wouldn't be tied to a table waiting for her fiancé to take care of her."

After untying her he lifted her from the couch. "You're right. I'll take this proper southern woman to the bedroom."

"So you can pound me into the mattress until dawn."

"Exactly."

OOOoooOOOooo

"Min kära, why does it seem like you never left the bed? I don't smell food, a shower or any other parts of the hotel on you."

"You fucked me unconscious last night; I'm only just now getting up with you. In fact, when you just woke in the bond it woke me."

He laughed, "are you kidding me?"

"Nope, now I need to eat and get ready so we can leave at first dark for your surprise."

By first dark, they were both ready and in the convertible. "Are you going to tell me where we're going yet?"

"Nope. It's only a 10 minute drive, you'll make it."

As she said, they pulled up to their destination in just 10 minutes and Eric beamed. "A drive in and it's playing Kill Bill: Volume 2? Sookie, this is perfect. Maybe we should put the top up so we can, you know" He waggled his eyebrows, "add to the experience."

"I packed a blanket to cover us; we'll need to be creative."

"Are you going to get some popcorn? That's traditional, right?"

"It may be traditional but I never understood that. I mean, you go on a date to the movies, eat popcorn and then kiss?"

"I don't understand."

"Popcorn bits – all stick in your mouth when you eat it. THAT would be especially bad for us."

"Um, yuck?"

She giggled at his reply. "Yeah, yuck."

"So the first movie is called Walking Tall. That sounds like a decent action flick, but I'm more interested in Killing Bill."

"Oh. Well, what are we going to do until the second film starts?"

"I've never made out in a car."

"Fancy that, me neither."

They arrived back at their hotel after the drive in and were surprised by some extra guests in their room. Godric met them at the door to their suite. "Godric?"

"My maker wished to meet Sookie."

Eric's eyes went wide as he looked past the door to the sitting area. When he dropped to his knees Sookie went with him, mostly because he had her hand in his. "Your Grace, you honor us with your presence."

From her seat on the couch, the Ancient Pythoness acknowledged both of them. "Rise my grandchild, rise my dear."

Eric stood taking Sookie with him and he nodded to Godric to handle the introductions. "Sookie, may I introduce my maker, the Ancient Pythoness." He turned to his maker. "Pythia, may I present Miss Sookie Stackhouse, Eric's bonded and betrothed."

Sookie was amazed to be in the presence of this very powerful and wise woman. She was dressed in a flowing white gown that practically matched her long white hair. While her eyes appeared glazed indicating she was blind, she certainly appeared to be seeing everyone in the room. Though her appearance surprised Sookie, it was her greeting that really took her aback. "I am pleased to finally meet you Miss Stackhouse. I am especially pleased that my grandchild took his head out of his ass and was able to woo you back."

A chuckle bubbled out of Sookie before she could stop it. "I'm pretty pleased about that myself, your Grace."

"Come, sit with me, we will talk." Sookie moved to sit next to her on the couch while Godric and Eric stayed standing. "You two, go to the lounge or something. I cannot talk with Sookie while you stand there staring." They stayed still for a moment until she finally waved her hands in a shooing motion and they acquiesced walking out the door. "So tell me about your pledging plans."

"I'm still making decisions, but once we coordinated the date with your schedule, I was able to book this gorgeous estate outside Shreveport. It has a light tight level for many of our guests, though we have several safehouses in the area if you're interested."

"My dear, I appreciate the offer, but I will travel in for the wedding and will be gone before dawn. It is a security requirement for me." She patted Sookie's hand. "Tell me more about the estate."

"While the ceremony will be inside, we have plans for part of our reception to be out in the gardens with the summer flowers in full bloom."

"That will be lovely dear. Have you selected a color for your dress?"

"I have, but I'm not vain enough to announce it and require that all the other women avoid the whole palette."

"Yes, I would image you would not fall into some of the more narcissistic behaviors of vampire monarchs." She leaned into Sookie a bit. "Will you tell me, just between us girls?"

Sookie wore her crazy smile not quite believing she was having a girl chat with the oldest vampire on the planet. "It's a very pale pink."

"That sounds lovely my dear."

"Thank you, your Grace."

The Ancient Pythoness stopped for a moment and looked at Sookie with her milky eyes. "You need a name to call me. You don't need to call me your Grace when we are just talking."

"Whatever you decide. What does Godric call you?"

"When we are being casual, he calls me Pythia. I find I want something more familial for you."

"Famililal?"

"Eric is my Grandchild, you will be as well once you are pledged."

"I don't think we can get away with my calling you Gammy or something like that though."

"No, I agree. Yai-Yai would be known to too many vampires with all the languages they speak."

"You are Greek?"

"I had been told you have unexpected depths, I should not be surprised you put that together."

"It was in a book. We could use Old Norse; Eric has told me there are very few who speak it."

"Amma it is then." Sookie smiled at her. "You can tell Eric he may use this name as well when we are in personal situation."

"Amma?" Sookie tried the name out. "Do you know my Great Grandfather?"

"You are a bold one as I've also been told."

"I apolo. . ."

"No need. We are having a family chat. I am not in public, and I know you know the difference."

"I do."

"Well, Niall." She paused to think on her response. "I've known him for many years. Before you ask, he has become aware of you, though he is keeping it to himself. The threat of Breandan IS real my dear." She sighed unnecessarily. "I have filled Godric in so he and Eric can work to ensure your safety."

"Thank you."

"So, I understand you have been preparing for the upcoming Summit?"

"I have. Both for the presentation Eric and I are giving, but also to perform as the perfect pet." A scowl formed on her face as she spoke the last part.

"Ah yes, Felipe and some others would be a problem otherwise. It is good for you to be prepared." She cocked her head as if curious about something and asked, "My dear, tell me how you feel about vampires such as Felipe and his brother King Carlos Huerta of New England."

"Oh, so they are related?" The Ancient Pythoness nodded in confirmation. "Well . . ." She started then stopped.

"Please, speak freely. I am very curious on your reaction."

"I think they are wrong, and not just because I would feel oppressed by their attitudes as a human. I think they are missing an opportunity. Actually, not just those vampires you just named, but any species that ignores the value of other races, species, religions or any other group, however they are labeled – is missing an opportunity. They are also hypocrites."

"What opportunity is being missed?"

"What others bring 'to the table' if you will. It's also why they are hypocrites. They use phones, cars, computers?" The Ancient Pythoness smiled and nodded. "Were any of those invented by vampires? In fact" she rose, getting a little fired up, "can you tell me what vampires have contributed to the inventions of the past few centuries?"

"No, I cannot." The Ancient Pythoness' smile grew. Sookie was truly everything she had hoped she would be. "We have some that were notable scholars, philosophers, even writers."

"And that's great – I'm not saying vampires don't also contribute, but if they herded the humans as cows as Felipe and family would want, they'd be using carrier pigeons to communicate."

"You know Sookie; I do not use a phone."'

"Wow, I can't imagine. Do you use carrier pigeons?" She chuckled at her own joke.

Her Amma laughed with her. "No, I travel or send scrolls. My son has been trying to convince me for about 30 years to get a phone. So far, I have managed to resist."

Seeing that the Ancient Pythoness was allowing a very casual conversation, Sookie sat back down and took advantage. "So, you also don't use a PC?"

"No."

"Well, what are you going to do when Eric and I have our babies? How will I send you pictures of your Great Grandbabies? Oh I'm sorry, can you see pictures?"

A knowing smile formed on the Ancient Pythoness' face: She'd seen the babies already in her visions. Still she had to admit that viewing them in a vision WAS different than getting updates and maybe actually meeting them. "I have to admit you have me intrigued. I do not see myself sitting and singing lullabies, but an e-mail written by you that a handmaiden can read would be nice. As for what I can see, I cannot explain my sight that easily. I can see you now in a vision, not you personally sitting next to me. Pictures work somewhat since I can see a handmaiden looking at them. I will consider your words, especially since I cannot just give you an address for mailing photos."

"Well, I would be especially excited to tell Godric that something I suggested would move you into the technology world."

"You just won me over. I will tell him tonight that I am getting a PC and an email address at YOUR request." The Ancient Pythoness clapped her hands together once, as if to finalize her plans. "I suppose I should call the boys back, I need to head out as I believe you do as well."

"Thank you for your time. I enjoyed our chat."

"As did I child."

The 'boys' walked in shortly after and Pythia dropped her bomb. "Godric, I will need your email address so when I get my PC, I can contact you when I set up my own account."

Godric's eyes grew wide. "Pythia? You are willingly getting a PC? How did this finally come about?"

"Yes, my soon to be Great Granddaughter talked me into it."

Still dazed, Godric looked at Sookie. "Is there anything you cannot do?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I can't sing."


	43. See the Queen Pledge

**A/N**

**School starts tomorrow - so to celebrate, you get a chapter.**

**I had a great week of writing, so I'm hoping to get back to posting at least twice a week. I just need another chapter or two finished to get back there. Wish me luck (or time).**

**I regret that I have not responded to reviews. It's been a a hell of a week I tell ya.**

**Thanks all!**

**I haven't noted this for a few chapters but I own nothing, these are all C. Harris and A. Ball.**

**M**

Chapter 42 - See the Queen Pledge

May 4, 2004

"Well, how was Florida?"

"Hello Pam, we missed you too."

Pam rolled her eyes but commented. "Yes Sookie, life here was dull for the past week without you here. So tell me, HOW WAS FLORIDA?"

"We took Hunter to Disney!"

"Yes, I know, the Smurf already sent me pictures, well his father did. How were the meetings?"

"Well, we divided up as planned after the intro night. OH, and Queen Perressa had to step in to get everyone on board. We did the second night as planned: Eric with the vampire Sheriff's and their seconds, I was with the Packmasters. It really helped that Alcide came with us." Eric kissed Sookie and murmured something about work and left them to catch up in the storage room.

"Did he have any credibility issues?"

"No, Flood was a well known and respected Packmaster and knowing Alcide had been pre-selected as the successor by Flood gave him the credibility."

"Would you say you have a success?"

"I would say using the recent witch issue here as a case study gave them the incentive they needed to work together. Coaching on how and gaining agreement from each group BEFORE we brought them together for contracts on the final night prevented a lot of posturing and aggression."

"Can you use this for your Vegas presentation?"

"Most definitely. I hate that we had the witch war but it kinda became the basis of our presentation – the 'why bother with building relationships' if you will. Now we plan to talk with Florida weekly to use their story in the presentation. Oh and now I have friend of the Pack status for all Packs in Florida and Eric lined up a favor from the vamps as well."

"You and Eric have the golden touch Sookie. Keep it up and the Vampires and Weres in all the states will line up and protect you."

"I hope we never need it."

"Still, having King Threadgill fawn over you from your involvement in the witch war and now more friend of the Pack statuses. Threadgill is going to be more impressed with you after you do your readings in Arkansas next week. . . It's all unprecedented Sookie. ."

"It's scary Pam. They could just as easily WANT to STEAL me in addition to wanting to PROTECT me."

"So we just prove you're valuable while you stay HERE."

"It just kills me that some vamps think they can just take what they want."

"It's leftover from our old ways."

"But you made new rules; you came out of the coffin."

"Some states only put on a pretense but they still do what they want."

"I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again. There needs to be some governing body, perhaps comprised of multiple species."

"Keep dreaming Sookie, you might be working to improve relations with specific groups, but allowing non vampires to have some oversight over vampires – that'll never happen. Too many would fight it."

"Don't burst my bubble."

"Ok, new topic then. When is your Doctor appointment?"

Sookie smiled widely at the new topic. "We think the week of May 24h - when I should be ovulating. I start my drugs on the 17th."

"We go to New Orleans on the 27th, isn't that cutting it close? Won't you need to rest? What if you don't ovulate?"

"No, I only need to rest for the first day. If I don't ovulate, then I don't. I can't focus on those things to worry about."

Recognizing that Sookie was concentrating on the positive, she chose also to do the same. "Are you excited?"

"Very."

OOOoooOOOooo

Under Ludwig and Harold's guidance, Sookie continued to monitor her cycle and started taking Clomid on the 5th day of her cycle. In their favor, her cycle was very regular and based on symptoms; she was ovulating the night before they were to leave for New Orleans. On that night, the hopeful parents walked hand in hand into the fertility doctor's waiting room. "Good evening Sookie, Eric."

"Good evening Harold." Eric gestured behind him. "These are two of our guards: Potts and Alcide. As we discussed, they can stay here with your Michael."

"Packmaster Herveaux, I'm surprised to see you here. "

"Sookie has quite a following." The group chuckled while Alcide knelt down to Michael's level. "Hi there. My girlfriend Potts and I are going to play with you for a while. Is that OK?"

"Do you pway with bwocks?"

"You betcha. Let's get started." He moved to sit on the floor and winked to Sookie.

Harold turned back to Eric and Sookie. "I think Michael is in good hands. Are you ready to begin?" They nodded. "Then let's go."

"Do you want me to review the procedure again before we start?"

"No, I think I memorized the details. I just really want to get started."

After the procedure, the group was leaving the doctor's office and Sookie was being carried by Eric. "Really Eric, I'm supposed to take it easy. I think I can walk."

"You will be pampered the rest of the night. No arguments." In reaction to the no arguments comments, Sookie reared up for fight but he stopped her by putting up his hand. "Alcide, Potts, we'll meet you at the car in a minute." When they were alone in the office elevator Eric told Sookie something that stopped her argument cold. "Sookie let me explain. When you . . . The reality is . . . I'm not the man who can biologically give you a child." Her eyes went wide. "I'm not trying to concern you. My promise to you stays: The children we create with Dr. Finard's help will be ours together and I will never consider them as another man's. Having said that, I find I need to do more than just drive you to visits and hold your hand for the pregnancy. Please. Let me fuss over you when it comes to the physical impacts of 'knocking you up'."

She was quiet for a moment taken aback by his words; then finally responded with a simple "Ok Eric." To emphasize her agreement, she tightened her arms around his neck and added, "take me home sweetie."

He carried her to the car, into the house when they arrived and straight into bed and she didn't complain once. He smiled and thanked her while he dressed her in a night shirt. "Would you like something to eat?"

"Yes. She smiled, thinking about a new item Eric had recently added to his repertoire. "Pancakes?"

"Coming right up!"

The small kitchen in his day chamber was used more by Eric than Sookie if she thought about it. He liked to cook small meals for her, even on the nights when it wasn't his 'night' to cook. The real reason he liked this was so he could feel like he was providing for her. He loved doing that and Sookie let him pamper her. Lost in her thoughts about Eric and his pampering, she didn't even notice he was done cooking and walking towards her with the food on the bed tray. She waited for him to ask his usual question and he didn't disappoint. "May I feed you my love?"

"I'm certain that feeding me is a requirement of being fussed over, is it not?"

His smile spread across his face at her response. "It is. So open wide." He waited until she finished the first bite and then asked, "Do you have any of the cramps the doctor mentioned?"

"Some really mild ones – my period brings on worse than this."

"Hmmm, since we can't make love tonight we can't use shower sex to relieve them as we do when you have menstrual cramps. Can I get you something else for the pain?"

"No, it's really very mild." She answered between bites.

Eric's mobile rang and he cursed at the intrusion. "It's Pam; I better answer it because she wants an update I'm sure." He hit talk and just listened for Pam to start.

"Did the turkey baster thing go well?"

"Yes Pam, the IUI went without any difficulty or complication. Sookie is resting now."

"Can I talk to her?"

"She is eating, so you can speak only for a moment."

He handed Sookie the phone and Pam blurted out, "Was it good for you AND the baster?"

"You've been waiting to use that one, haven't you?"

"Maybe." Pam changed to more serious mode. "So, do you feel OK? Do you need anything?"

Her friend's obvious concern tugged at Sookie's heart. "I'm fine Pam, very little pain and Eric is spoiling me now."

"I know. He loves to feed you. I get this overall warm, contended feeling through the bond. That's what's happening now, so I better let you get back to it. Can't have him lose that feeling when I enjoy the repercussions of it myself."

"Ok Pam . . . Hey! Thanks for checking up on us."

"You're welcome Sookie. You rest and bake the babies that are possibly brewing right now."

After ending the call she chuckled at bit. "You know, she is just endlessly fascinated by this baby thing."

"I know, maybe I should try to find one for her."

"That would be funny, if for no other reason than watching her change a diaper – designer cloth diaper of course."

"Of course." He smirked.

After Sookie finished her meal, Eric held out two DVDs. "Pick."

"Oooh, Peter Pan or The Last Samurai? I think Peter Pan wins. We need to prep for being parents." Sookie giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"That you even brought that one home to play. I think you are more preoccupied with babies that me. But what's really funny is, "she took a breath between chuckles, "your new name will be Papa Bear."

"There is nothing funny about that."

"Not until Pam hears it."

OOOoooOOOooo

Eric rose in his favorite way: With Sookie attached to his side. His mood quickly changed from happy to concerned when she didn't wake after he started stirring. Normally, this wouldn't concern him, but with the IUI the night before, he was on edge. He moved her shoulders a bit and spoke to her. "Sookie, wake up."

"No."

He tried again. "Sookie."

She looked up at him with sleepy eyes. "What's wrong, did I sleep too late?"

"Not at all, I was just worried when you didn't wake." He leaned back from her to assess her condition. He noticed she looked tired. "My love, are you feeling well or are you just 'sleepy Sookie' tonight?"

"I'm just 'sleepy Sookie'. I was too excited to sleep for long today. I was online looking at nurseries."

"Do you need to skip the weekend in New Orleans?"

"Not. At. All. I've been looking forward to seeing a Pledging ceremony. Plus, Hadley booked a spa day for us on the day of the wedding since she's really upset about Sophie-Anne marrying, even if it is for political reasons only."

He groaned. "Sookie, you can't go to a spa. . ."

"We aren't. We booked two women to come to the palace. They'll be screened by me the day before to be sure and glamoured to forget the whole thing after they are dropped off back at their spa. Potts will be in the room with us at all times, and our other guards will be at the doors."

"Sophie-Anne approved this?"

"According to Hadley she did, she had to provide the names of the women to the palace guards."

He looked into her hopeful face. "Very well min älskade, I can't deny that face and it sounds like Hadley took the appropriate precautions. I will check with the palace first but it sounds like you have yourself a spa day." She squealed and threw her arms around Eric's neck.

"Thank you! I've never had a spa day like that."

Eric noted that tidbit of information and suggested they get ready for the drive. Since so many monarchs were arriving, using the Queen's plane wasn't possible. The coordination of the private jets coming in already was a nightmare for the local airfield in New Orleans.

The caravan for the trip to the Palace met at Fangtasia and they split into two cars: Eric, Sookie, Pam and Bubba in one and Alcide, Potts, Thalia and Peter in the other. Eric made it clear to the queen he was traveling with a large group to ensure Sookie's protection and he received no argument from the palace. Further, Sophie-Anne guaranteed him that he would have no problems with Andre as a backlash from the punishment. Per Sophie-Anne, Andre had accepted his punishment under Eric as his master and he realized that he could have been put to death. Sookie was more concerned about seeing Bill Compton as he still lived and worked at the palace but they were assured that Bill would be locked away for the entire celebration.

Sookie and Pam had started talking about Pledge details and choices when Bubba interjected. "Have you hired a singer yet Miss Sookie?"

"We were going to have a DJ. Why, do you know a singer that would be interested?" She was hopeful, but contained her excitement.

"I'd be honored to sing some songs for you, and you can fill in with the DJ."

"BUBBA! That would make me very happy. Thank you."

They continued the drive making some final decisions for the Pledging. Pam took her role very seriously noting each of her tasks, and even started on some of the work while they drove. If helping Sookie with the Pledging would help with the pregnancy, she was all in. PLUS, she'd wanted to run the whole Pledging anyway so it was a win win for Pam as far as she was concerned.

They arrived with a few hours before dawn at Eric's New Orleans's home. Mustapha was in the house and asleep, having arrived the day before to prep the house for company. Amelia greeted everyone at the door and collected a single strand of hair from each person to create a ward around the house. After the ward was settled, Eric guided everyone to their guest rooms to settle in before they met to have a final review of security while they were at the palace. The next evening was the rehearsal and pre-wedding party followed by the actual wedding the following night. Eric had specific roles for each member of their entourage to play while at the palace since several out of state monarchs would be in attendance. As an ordained Priest for the Church of the Loving Spirit (a fact that had Sookie giggle no matter how many times she heard it), Eric had been asked to perform the ceremony so he wanted Thalia and Pam next to Sookie the entire time. Once they had reviewed the floor plans, ceremony and escape routes thoroughly, they all retired for the day. Sookie noted that Pam and Amelia had been making eyes at each other during the meeting and retired together.

OOOoooOOOooo

The next evening, Eric and Sookie were having a very serious discussion while getting ready for the pre-wedding party. "But Eric, when you and Pam talk about pets and companions, bite marks – I mean visible bite marks were mentioned as common."

"I don't see you that way."

"Ok, but will other Monarchs respect that? I mean, I was kidnapped while bonded to you AND I was trying to tell them. I don't want to be bitten before I can get the right words out."

"You won't be leaving my side. Besides, in some cases, the bite marks might make you appear to be a donor, not owned." He didn't add that bite marks wouldn't have prevented her kidnapping.

"Oh and how will you be practicing the ceremony tonight or conducting the ceremony tomorrow night without leaving my side?"

"You know what I mean; Pam and Thalia will surround you."

She was quiet for a few minutes and he finally picked up on why. "You're scared."

"I . . . I am." She looked down and turned to face the closet. "The palace vampires all know who I am now, but there will be so many guests. California, Mississippi, New York. What if that mean Sheriff from California is here, the one you told me about? I can't believe these feelings, I wasn't scared thinking about coming down and now we're here and I'm . . ."

"Sookie, EVERY Louisiana vampire is obligated to protect you and since all of the Louisiana Sheriff's have met you they can identify you to assist if needed. Technically the Arkansas group must protect you as well since the contract is complete; the pledge is just the ceremony. You have plenty of vampires to protect you Sookie."

She thought for a moment as she grabbed her panties from the drawer. "Ok Eric, I trust you. You wouldn't make a decision that would put me in harm's way."

He could tell she was still scared so he distracted her. "No bra Miss Stackhouse?"

"The dress is backless Mr. Northman."

Eric growled at the thought of the exposed skin. "Let's see this dress; I'll need to approve it."

"Don't start with friskiness or that growling. We have to leave in about 30 minutes AND my hair is already done." She removed her dress from its hanger. "But, you do need to zip me up."

"Sookie, this dress is perfect. It's a gown but with the hem higher in the front it has just the hint of being less formal, just like tonight's party. And the blue, Gods Sookie, the color is perfect for your eyes."

"I thought you might like it. Pam's fashion sense has been rubbing off on me, I picked this one myself."

"Her fashion sense better be the only thing that rubs you."

The group was ready to leave right on time and the stretch limo was waiting outside the house. Once at the palace, they stayed alert as they moved into the main ballroom. Eric separated from the group to review the ceremony with Sophie-Anne and Peter, but would be back with Sookie before the official party starting time and therefore before the bulk of the guest vampires would arrive.

Sookie milled about with her guards waiting for Eric to return to the main room. While she grabbed some water from the bar, she watched as a large bald man approached her. "Mm mm mm, and who are you?"

Being her polite self, she extended her hand since she registered the man as a Were. "Sookie Stackhouse."

"I'm Quinn. I own the company that is running the event. Extreme(ly Elegant) Events. I'm curious how such a beautiful human like you is here?" He leaned in and touched her arm as he spoke.

Sookie backed away from Quinn with her lipped curled. "My fiancé is one of The Queen's Sheriffs."

"YOU'RE Northman's human?"

"I am so please step back."

His eyes shifted around and he lowered his voice. "Babe, if you're in trouble and need to escape him, let me know, I'll get you out of here."

She laughed out loud. "Don't call me babe and what the hell are you talking about? Did you think lowering your voice would prevent my two vampire guards from hearing you?" She gestured to Thalia and Pam. "Ladies, do I need saving?"

"No but the kitty cat will if he doesn't step away." Pam turned to Sookie. "Quinn's a were tiger Sookie. He needs to leave before any of his disgusting scent rubs off."

Quinn scowled at Pam and backed away, giving Sookie a last wink.

Sookie shuddered. "I feel like I need a shower."

"He has that effect on everyone. Come; let's check out the Queen's selections for the party so we can make notes. They had circled the room once checking out centerpieces, linens blood fountains, and human catering before Vampires from other states started entering the room. Pam noticed Sookie's nervousness. "We've got you Sookie. Though I'm unsure why you are so nervous. You went to Florida and didn't have any problems."

"Florida was planned meetings with a known attendee list and agendas. This is a party with regular donors milling about. I don't want to be confused with being a donor and end up bitten."

"You won't be." She visibly relaxed at hearing his voice. "You were so nervous that you didn't even feel me return to the room?"

"I guess I didn't."

"Well, I'm here now. You aren't wearing a donor marking and you won't leave my side." He tucked her under his arm and they started walking toward the bar.

"Northman, where did you get your donor, she smells divine."

"Sookie, may I present Olga Krol the Sheriff of Area 2 in California. Olga, this is my bonded companion and soon to be pledged, Sookie Stackhouse."

"Bonded? Pledged?" Have you lost your mind?"

"Olga Krol! Do not speak to my son and daughter-in-law like that!"

She turned to see an angry Godric standing behind her. "Godric, surely you can understand that pledging to a human" she said with disdain, "is beneath a vampire of his standing." She continually looked down her nose at Sookie during her speech.

Ignoring Olga, he turned and smiled warmly at Sookie. "How is my favorite daughter-in-law?"

"I _WILL be_ your only daughter-in-law; I'll always be your favorite." She stepped into his hug. "I didn't know you would be here."

"Unfortunately for me, my age garners me invitations to events just as if I were a monarch. As a Sheriff of an ally state I would have been invited anyway but could have easily said no. As an elder," he sighed, "attending is expected. Politics my dear. I came with Stan and Liz."

"Well, I'm happy you are here. We were just headed to the bar, would you care to join us?"

"I would." Taking her arm and heading to the bar as they caught up. "How was the trip to Arkansas?"

"The readings went well. We did find some Soldiers of the Light which surprised me. AND spies from Nevada, but that was expected."

"Newlin is preaching from his incarceration. He has far too much freedom from the penitentiary hospital if you ask me." He grimaced a bit, recalling how Newlin had tried to kill Sookie. "He still has followers."

"That really makes me uneasy."

"I agree with that. . . ." He paused for a moment. "Did you meet Jade Flower?"

"Yes, she was scary as shit." He laughed and agreed with her assessment. As they walked, Godric spotted his king already at the bar. "Good timing my dear. Stan is there as well so you can catch up. He and Liz are planning their Pledging for September. I am guessing you and Liz will want to compare notes."

"That sounds like fun."

"Stan! Liz! Sookie greeted each of them with a big smile. How are you?"

"Doing well Sookie, and you?"

"Quite Happy." She looked around. "Is Barry here with you?"

"Actually no. He was hired by Nevada for some casino meetings with Felipe; he actually flies home tonight while I am here. DeCastro is trying to get some zoning issues addressed and the City of Vegas is blocking him at every step. He wanted Barry to provide some insight onto why and HOW the City Council is aware of his moves before the meetings."

"Isn't it risky to send Barry into Nevada?"

"He has 24X7 guards and a contract that assures me he won't be abused as a human." When Sookie still appeared leery he added, "I gave Barry complete control over this decision and 100% of the payment is his. He wanted to do this. It was quite lucrative I assure you."

"Has anyone been in contact with him?"

"You are a worrier aren't you?" She nodded somberly. "Yes, twice a day Sookie. He's had an enjoyable trip. According to his guards, he met someone there and has enjoyed several, ah, dates."

"Alright."

After getting her grilling about Barry out of the way, Liz and Sookie started comparing notes for a while until they were interrupted by Russell Edgington and Bartlett Crowe. "Northman, you've been hiding your betrothed from us. Stan, you as well. Since we all have our own Pledgings coming up, we simply must compare notes."

Eric chuckled at the flamboyant King but carried out the introductions. "Your Majesties, May I present Sookie Stackhouse, my bonded companion and soon to be pledged."

Stan took over. "And may I present Liz Matthews, my bonded companion and soon to be pledged. Ladies," he pointed to Russell then Bartlett as he spoke. "Please meet The King of Mississippi, Russell Edgington and The King of Kentucky, Bartlett Crowe."

Both Liz and Sookie bowed slightly and expressed pleasure at meeting the men.

"Miss Stackhouse and Miss Matthews, you were both part of the take down of the Fellowship." Both of them nodded. "Then may I announce that as a thank you, the Mississippi Vampires and Weres are in your debt."

Bartlett added. "Since Russell and I are to be pledged, that goes for Kentucky as well."

The group was surprised at the words but refrained from reacting. Sookie, with all her innate grace simply smiled and responded, "Your majesties are too kind" and ended with a slight bow.

Russell wasted no time. "Well, now that we are friends, come ladies, let's discuss the party so far. I want to know what you liked and didn't so we can all plan appropriately." Waving his hand, he turned to Eric. "You can go mingle, I assure you these ladies are perfectly fine with me and I'm stealing Pamela anyway for her input. I'm sure Thalia will follow and stay close to Sookie."

Before letting her go, Eric checked that Sookie was fine with the plan and she assured him that this was necessary girl time. Eric left to 'mingle' but kept a watchful eye on Sookie. With the rest of her group, Sookie was all smiles and laughter. As he watched her, he just shook his head thinking about how his bonded could get along with everybody, and continued his chats with the vampires in the room for a while. Having missed Sookie at his side for too long, he returned about an hour later suggesting that they dance for a bit more before they needed to return home.

The rest of the evening went without incident. Eric and Sookie enjoyed the dance floor and when they weren't dancing, Eric, Bartlett and Stan stood behind all the girls: Pam, Thalia, Liz, Potts and Russell as an honorary girl, while they made notes about Sophie-Anne's selections for the event to either use or specifically NOT use at the upcoming Pledgings. Godric would stop by to laugh and offer his sympathy but he couldn't fool Eric. He knew Godric felt a longing to have the same kind relationship he had with Sookie. As they left, Russell promised more girl time at the Pledging the next night.

OOOoooOOOooo

"Shoo! You can get dressed with Bubba."

"You don't need my help?" He almost pouted. Sookie's hair was up in a complicated twist and her makeup was perfect. He couldn't wait to see the gown. "You probably have a zipper or something."

"She does. That's why Thalia, Potts and I are dressing in here. You, male, get out of the girl's dressing room." He wanted to get mad at Pam for ordering him around, but he could tell Sookie was relishing her girl time.

Eric dressed quickly and waited in Bubba's room for the reveal. Bubba offered, "It'll only be worse for her own Pledging. Girls get pretty funny about that stuff." They listened to the giggling from the girl's room and Bubba laughed to himself then whispered to Eric. "I hear even Thalia laughing Mister Eric. Your Sookie is something else."

"That she is Bubba, that she is."

Sookie was the last to emerge from the room and she took Eric's breath away. The dress was ivory, a perfect color since Sophie-Anne had announced that she selected red for her color, thereby eliminating anything from the red color scheme as an option for the other women in attendance. It was covered in lace and sequins all over giving it formality befitting a Pledging. He could hardly wait to get on dance floor with her so to move things along he extended his arm and bowed. "Shall we?"

They arrived and Eric got them into the ballroom for the start of the ceremony. Sookie was surrounded by Pam, Thalia, Potts, Alcide, Stan, Bubba, Russell, Bart and Godric so he felt she was quite safe and he went to get ready. When he returned to the stage he was dressed in an all black outfit with a cape. Sookie contained her laughter, but he felt the amusement and smirked at her. Sophie-Anne and Peter Threadgill entered together and walked to the stage. From there, the ceremony was quick since their union was political. There were no vows or other words of affection spoken between Peter and Sophie-Anne. The only speaker was Eric as he went through the ceremony. Sookie realized she was happy to have elaborated on their Pledging; this one was just plain boring. At one point, Russell even whispered that fact into her ear, causing her to giggle. Luckily some music was playing and it covered their noise. After the happy couple drank their combined blood and Eric declared them married, they moved off the stage to open the dance floor. Sookie noticed Hadley was a bit weepy, but that was to be expected since Peter and Sophie-Anne would need to consummate the marriage tonight. She felt for her cousin. Eric was involved in politics, but he still put Sookie first; Sophie-Anne did not. This marriage had to be hard on her cousin.

Finally Eric approached Sookie and took her to the dance floor. "In just a few weeks, that will be us." Twirling her around before adding, "Only better because our union will be for love."

"Much better." They danced until Sookie needed a break so they made their way to the bar. Russell was there and took Sookie's hand.

"Well girlfriend, let's find Liz and continue our planning from last night. I say we sweep the room and take in all the details, then sit and compare notes." He looked back to Eric. "I'll have your woman for a while; go pretend you like talking to the other Sheriffs or something."

Once seated, Russell started talking with Sookie and Liz about their guest lists. "So ladies, are you having non vampires at your Pledging? I mean, besides employed Weres?"

Liz went first, "This is a huge family thing for me, and I'm the first in my pack to Pledge to a vampire, we are having several hundred and half are non vampires."

Sookie's eyes grew wide. "I had no idea how big your Pledging was going to be. Are you prepping the non vampire guests on any protocol? We're actually having a meeting with them."

"The Packmaster is providing the protocol for us. A meeting – what's that mean?"

"Well, I only have a handful of humans attending, outside my close guards and their dates. They've been invited to my Gran's for a cookout the week before so we can go over stuff."

Russell was curious. "What's a handful, who'd you invite?"

"My brother and his Were date, and we're lucky that she's my Gran's nurse. Three of my friends from growing up and one of my Gran's good friends. My old boss is attending, but he's a shifter. Pam's date is a witch, so we don't need to prep her. That's it. I didn't have too many close human friends."

"I find that hard to believe."

"I was 'Crazy Sookie' growing up because of my telepathy. Nobody really wanted to spend time with me." She felt just a pang of sadness looking at her life from Russell's perspective. She counted her human attendees in her head: Gran, Jason, Tara, Lala, Hoyt and Maxine Fortenberry. Five, she had five people coming to represent her life before Eric. Since they wanted to keep Hunter away from other vampires, she couldn't even have her little man there.

In an incredibly compassionate move, Russell put his hand on top of Sookie's and said, "Then the people that are part of your life are that much more special, yes?" She nodded at him with watery eyes.

Sensing her sadness, Eric arrived at the table. "My love, what has happened?"

She wiped the tears that had spilt. "I'll tell you later. Let's dance."

"Of course." To follow proper protocol he looked at Russell and asked, "If you will excuse us?"

"Certainly, but a quick question first."

"Yes your majesty."

"I would like to compare notes with Sookie on our Pledging plans after this weekend, may I call her directly?"

He looked to Sookie and he could see and feel she was happy at the request so he nodded. "I would love that. Can Eric get you my number?"

"Yes, I'll get the details from him." He stood and took Sookie's hand and kissed the back of it. "We will talk soon."

"I look forward to that, Russell."

Eric panicked for a second before remembering that Stan also requested that Sookie address him by his first name so he was sure Sookie had been invited to the same privilege with Russell. His bonded certainly had a way with vampires.

They approached the dance floor but before they started moving, the music stopped. King Peter and Queen Sophie-Anne moved to the stage. "We have an announcement to make from the phone call my second just received." Peter started. "Tonight, Queen Santhi of the Great Lakes Region has been killed by one of her sheriffs. The sheriff now claims the territory for her own."

Sookie looked around the room. The murmuring amongst the vampires started immediately. Some looked happy about the announcement. Recalling Eric's lessons, she figured those were vampires like Eric who had respect for other species and were happy that a ruler with such brutal beliefs and practices was gone. She'd ask later.

Sophie-Anne continued. "At this moment, there appears to be some dispute over the proper claiming. No representatives for the territory are with us tonight, so this was simply for your information. Please go back to enjoying the party."

Sookie laughed inwardly. _'A man was killed that many of you may have known, pass the blood please_.' The announcement was made just as simply as that. When she looked around the room, the vampires did in fact just go back to the party. She decided to follow suit and when the music started, she and Eric took off around the dance floor. They danced only two songs before he heard Godric. "May I cut in?"

"You may." After Godric had spun Sookie back into the dance, Eric moved toward the blood fountain where he had the displeasure of seeing Olga again.

"I see you share your human. May I taste her tonight?"

"Olga, I introduced you to Sookie last night as my bonded companion. What part of that do you not understand? As for your comment about sharing, she is currently dancing with my maker whom she considers to be a father to her." He shook his head. "It is against protocol to request tastes of a companion. Do you not understand the basics?"

"Northman, why would you need to own a cow?"

"OLGA!" A booming voice called out as its owner approached the blood fountain. "I heard from Stan that you were causing problems last night. Now I have heard it for myself and I must take action."

Eric bowed. "King Benito. Welcome to Louisiana."

"Sheriff Northman. A pleasure to see you again. I understand you're Pledging next month?"

"I am." He looked at saw Godric steering Sookie towards Eric. "Here is my betrothed now." Wrapping his arm around her waist, he made the introductions. "Sookie, this is King Benito of California. Your majesty, this is my bonded companion Sookie Stackhouse." She stiffened at seeing Olga standing with him but bowed and greeted the King in her usual polite southern manner. "His majesty was just speaking with Olga." At those words, Sookie visibly flinched and the King noticed.

"Miss Stackhouse, a pleasure to meet you. I understand one of my Sheriff's has been causing some grief while here. I assure you, her words and attitude will not be tolerated."

Sookie knew those were serious words and something severe was going to happen to Olga. She steeled herself and accepted the vampire way by saying, "You are most kind King Benito." Pride flooded the bond and she was able to smile softly.

"Enjoy the rest of the party my dear. I know you have probably set your guest list, but I would love to travel to the state again to see your Pledging." She squeezed Eric's hand and he looked down to see her signing her agreement to the King's statement.

"We will be sure to get your invitation in the mail as soon as we return to Shreveport. We would be honored by your presence." The king nodded and walked away, towing a scowling Olga with him.

"What was that all about?"

"Just more like-minded vampires. Nothing to complain about."

"Oh I agree. Any vampire who doesn't want to eat me is a hero to me."

That was an opportunity he had to take. "But Sookie, I want to eat you."

"Well later you can don a mask, call yourself a villain and hold me captive in your lair." She waggled her eyebrows at him as she spoke.

His cock twitched at her words. "Oooh, role play Sookie? Does this villain use turkey ties to bind you to his bed?"

She gasped. "You HAVE to put those back in the kitchen before thanksgiving, I swear. . ." She thought about it for a minute while shaking her head. "Never mind, I don't think I could ever cook a turkey with those again."

NOTE: The images of the dresses I picked are posted on my wordpress site - at the end of this chapter. My url is on my profile.


	44. The Honeymoon

**REMINDER - I can't write fashion details - so if you want to see the dresses etc - go to my wordpress site for this chapter.**

**See profile for url.**

**Labor day was writing time - actually – it was more edit time. I did some major editing starting with the chapter you're getting tonight – through to chapter 51 where I currently am. I had to do some time adjusting, and that really put me back so I'm sorry I didn't get the chapter up yesterday. I'm still working through the edits and I only moved everything by 2 weeks – but this proves my method of holding back chapters so I can sit and ponder.**

**I'm not even sure if my campsite (where I spent the weekend) had strong enough wifi to post – but once I knew I needed to adjust the timing, the wifi was a moot point.**

**I tried something different with this chapter – I hope y'all can follow my method. Let me know if it works or not.**

**Actually – when I originally timelined out this story – this chapter was the last one for book one, then I was going to take a break and write the sequel – 'Together'. I have too many loose ends to have you guys wait. I'm sure y'all are looking forward to the Summit. That's all written so it's in edit and consistency mode now. The after Summit is HARD – but you'll need to wait and find out why (HEHEHEHE).**

**~m**

**And I haven't mentioned in a while – I don't own these characters.**

Chapter 43 – The honeymoon

June 16, 2004

"It arrived by today!" Sookie was shouting as she ran down the stairs to the safe room now that Eric was finally wake. Breathless as she walked in, she attacked him on the bed. "I already downloaded it to make the DVD and got it ready to show on our TV here!" She indicated the TV in the room.

"I guess you want to watch it first thing?" He was excited too, but honestly could wait for another round of honeymoon sex before watching the DVD. Seeing her excitement to watch their wedding video now, he pushed his own desires back. They'd been on the island for a few days and he still couldn't get enough of her. He still had through the following week and while he was enjoying himself, the days were long and he missed the extra time with her. He had the Honeymoon, Phase 2 already booked for after the Summit. He couldn't wait to surprise Sookie with her trip to the Falklands where the days would be shorter.

"Can we? Please?"

"Of course min kära."

She loaded up the DVD and got into bed to snuggle with Eric as they watched. The first few minutes on the video were just the cameramen capturing the pre-party at various angles. "Did I tell you that you looked radiant?" Sookie was wearing a dress that Eric selected and she was quite pleased with his choice; she never would have selected the pale yellow on her own.

She smiled up at him. "You did. Many times." Her focus returned to the video. "Look, they filmed when you gave me my earrings. As soon as I opened them I understood why you picked that dress. OH! And you were so smart to give me them at the party where you knew I wouldn't yell. We said NO PRESENTS!"

"And who gave me the scrapbook you've started all about us?"

"I hardly think that compares to the earrings."

"It doesn't. Documenting our story for our future children and their children is more important than earrings." He rubbed his hand on her belly as he spoke.

"You're too sweet." She smiled at first then he felt a wave of sadness. Knowing what caused her mood change, he paused the DVD to address it.

"We talked about this Sookie. You've only had your first IUI, we went into this knowing it can take several procedures to work."

"I know you're right. I just freak out every once and a while."

"That's why you have me."

"Yes dear" Sookie said and giggled, using his line on him. "Hit play."

They watched quietly just enjoying Gran and Pam cooing over the earrings followed by all the attendees dancing until Eric saw Sophie-Anne approach Sookie on the video. "What were you guys talking about?"

"She was thanking me for befriending Hadley. She said she'd noticed a change in her since we've been talking."

"That's good." They watched for a few more minutes. "What was all the giggling about?"

"The camera didn't show it, but Gran had just hugged Andre and he looked like he'd been silvered."

He laughed for a moment before saying, "I told her to refrain."

"She didn't hug Russell or Stan, well a bunch of the monarchs. That WAS Gran refraining."

The video changed to footage the cameramen captured before the Pledging started the night after the pre-party. They watched as Eric and Godric were talking quietly. Both men were beaming with excitement. "You look so yummy in a tux. Where were you?" Sookie asked.

"We were in this small meeting room the estate uses for grooms. Gran will walk in next."

Just as Eric said, Gran walked into the room with a huge smile on her face. As they watched the DVD, they could hear the conversation as well. "Wait until you see her Eric. You're going to need a minute. She's radiant. Now that I notice, so are you. So, is this the part where Godric and I tell you what to do on your wedding night?"

Godric chuckled and handled the response. "I don't think so Gran, to keep it polite; I'll just remind you that Eric was married twice in his human life."

"I was only joking anyway Godric." She took Eric's hand. "You've made my baby girl so happy, I know she makes you happy as well, I can tell. I just . . ." She misted up a bit but continued. "Just thank you for coming into her life and taking care of her; for getting your head out of your ass when you had firmly lodged it there and left her last winter; thank you for sending her to school and helping her grow." Gran had to squeak out the last words since she was a bit overcome with emotion, but she'd made her point.

"Gran, I thank YOU for raising Sookie and making her the person that was able to change ME. I never knew what I was missing." He looked towards Godric at that point and added. "I never knew until you . . . until you gave me that ultimatum."

From the bedroom as they watched the DVD Sookie gasped. "Eric?" She turned to him with wide eyes. "What did that mean?"

After hitting pause he answered. "Do you want to finish watching our wedding or hear the answer first?"

"Do you promise to tell me?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Then hit play."

The camera had moved to the bridal room where Pam was placing Sookie's tiara on her head. Eric commented from where they were watching, "I can't believe you agreed to wear it."

"It made her very happy and it did look lovely with all my curls."

Choosing a rarely used vampire tradition, they had each selected two friends to stand with them as witnesses on the stage. Sookie asked Pam and Gran to stand with her and Eric asked Jason and Godric. Since Gran had returned from her quick visit to Eric, she was fussing over Sookie as well. "Look Eric, Thalia was trying to look her usual mean self, but even she was having trouble with the façade." They giggled together. "She left the room after a final nod at my appearance to take her position as the officiant's assistant onstage. She thanked me again for that honor before she left; I don't think the camera picked that up."

"I could hear it but it was very faint."

Eric watched the video and was puzzled. "What's Gran doing now? I don't understand why she's adding stuff to your outfit. She's reciting a poem?"

Sookie paused the DVD to explain. "Yes, it's a bridal tradition. I was kinda apathetic about it, but it meant a lot to her since she had something from Aunt Linda's that was old, and something . . . let me start from the saying. It goes like this: Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue. What it means is the bride needs something from each category. My earrings were my something old since they were Aunt Linda's diamond stud earrings, actually, they were Gran's' before that. My dress was something new. I borrowed shoes from Pam, again at my Gran's suggestion to keep the tradition. My blue was the monogram on the handkerchief I carried and there you have it."

"That's weird."

"Says the man who had boxes of glass made to hold the charred bit of the Yule log for Gran's and our houses."

"There's nothing weird about that."

"I know there isn't. I'm just saying you have your traditions, and I, or in this case, Gran has hers."

"Yes dear. Hit play."

They were quietly watching until they got to the part where they saw each other for the first time, just outside the doors to the main hall of the estate where their friends and family were gathered for the ceremony. This time, Eric hit pause. "We know what we said at the time, but it bears repeating. Sookie, I will never forget how I felt when I first saw you ready for our Pledging. It wasn't just the dress or your hair, or your makeup – though you were a vision. It was the look in your eyes. You were accepting me, all of me."

"And you were accepting me with the look in your eyes as well. To me, the ceremony was a formality, you were mine."

"I was, as you were mine."

They shared a tender kiss before Eric hit play. On the TV, they were walking in together to join their witnesses on the large dais. Sookie hadn't noticed during the ceremony but she could see clearly that Pam was pretty much holding Gran steady. "I didn't notice Pam helping Gran so much." After only a few seconds of video, he was already hitting pause.

"They had planned it. Gran didn't want a walker on the dais and while she is much better, she feared that the day was too long for her to not need it. It was nothing for Pam to hold her."

"I think Pam is like the granddaughter that Gran never had. She just dotes on Gran and never sasses her like I do."

"Oh, Gran's whacked her a few times for language. I don't think she's any better behaved than you." Sookie gasped as he hit the play button – chuckling at her reaction. As the camera showed a view of the audience, Eric was again shocked to see some of the attendees smiling. A huge show of emotion for vampires. Of course, some, like Andre were scowling, but fuck him. The cameraman had moved now to show both Sookie and Eric on the dais with the audience. Onscreen they could see the room's reaction to the entrance of the Ancient Pythoness – something they didn't see during the ceremony since they were faced away. Eric laughed out loud at some of the faces. He rewound the DVD to see Sophie-Anne again. "She did." He said, almost to himself.

"She did what?"

He rewound it again. "She gulped Sookie. Vampires don't need to do that. Ever." Sookie snickered.

"So nobody knew she was coming?"

"Only our immediate group."

"Judging from their faces, it was a really big deal."

"Sookie, most monarchs are not pledged by the Ancient Pythoness. Word of this will spread like wildfire."

"Is that a good or a bad thing?"

"It just is. Some will think we have some kind of special blessing, others will think you and me, or even just one of us is 'too' special and they will try to find out why. Hopefully many will fear what it means and leave us the hell alone." He shook his head while he added. "I wouldn't have changed any part of it even knowing it could cause some problems for us." He hit play to resume the ceremony; he couldn't wait until the camera picked up the audience reaction to their vows and that was just in a moment. They watched as Ancient Pythoness made her opening remarks, pleased that the videographer had a second camera that captured her face.

"Welcome all to the Pledging of Eric the Northman and Sookie Stackhouse. Today, we witness a rare human and vampire Pledging made even more remarkable as it is also a Pledging for eternity. Normally a Pledging is a commitment with a predetermined end date." Changing her focus to the Pledging couple she continued. "Eric and Sookie, you have chosen each other as eternal companions. We are all honored to be present as you now exchange your vows with one another."

On the video, Sookie knelt before Eric and she recited the promise she had made the night after the Fellowship incident. They talked about vows and to them, their words that night WERE their eternal vows. A few words needed to be tweaked to fit the ceremony, but their promises that night remained as the important part. She looked up at Eric and he took her hands just before she began. "Eric, my eternal love, I hereby promise you my forever and I offer you everything that I have: my life, my blood, my body, my blades, my wealth, my heart. I'll walk beside you from now until our final deaths. Do you accept my promise?"

He smiled widely and spoke, "I do."

Pam handed Sookie a ring for Eric and she spoke, "As you have accepted my promise, I now present you with this ring as a token of my undying love and commitment to you." A smile grew on Eric's face as she placed the ring on his finger. He took a moment to think how ironic it was that a wedding ring could make him so happy when he would've sworn even a year ago one would never adorn his finger.

When they changed places, he could hear a slight murmur through the room from the video. The camera angle switched to show the audience at the noise and he could see disdain on Andre's face. He did notice that the Kings from California, Texas and Mississippi as well as the Were's they invited from Area 5 were smiling. He knew kneeling before a human would be controversial, but he didn't give a fuck. They'd kept the vampire guest list small, but that wouldn't stop this information from getting around. Yet he still chose to honor Sookie with his actions. This is how he first made his vows to her: On his knees in complete submission. This is how they chose to repeat those vows, witnesses be damned. The DVD continued showing him grasping her hands and saying his vows. "Sookie, my eternal love, I hereby promise you my forever and I'll fight and kill anyone I need to keep you safe and by my side. All that I have is yours: my life, my blood, my body, my sword, my wealth, my heart. I'll walk beside you from now until our final deaths. Do you accept my promise?"

"I do."

He turned to Jason and collected the ring for Sookie. While placing it on her finger, he recited, "As you have accepted my promise, I now present you with this ring as a token of my undying love and commitment to you."

He returned to standing with Sookie and they faced the Ancient Pythoness.

The Ancient Pythoness moved forward and Thalia placed the ancient Pledging dagger and chalice in her hands. She recited an incantation and placed the chalice on the table then handed the dagger to Sookie. In turn Sookie handed the dagger to Eric; he kissed it then returned it to the Ancient Pythoness. Next, the Ancient Pythoness put her hand out. Sookie immediately put her hand in it and waited while the Ancient Pythoness cut her palm. Even just viewing it caused her to flinch and Eric picked her hand up while they sat in the bedroom and kissed the area that had bled during the ceremony. They watched, her hand in his, as the cutting was repeated to Eric's palm.

While swirling the chalice to mix the blood the Ancient Pythoness spoke. "The mixing of blood is sacred to vampires. As Sookie and Eric have pledged before all of us, they now drink from the chalice of their mixed blood to seal their vows." She handed the chalice to Sookie first and she took a drink; then handed it to Eric who finished the blood and placed the chalice back on the table. "I now pronounce Eric and Sookie Northman pledged for eternity." Then she smiled a creepy toothless smile and winked at Eric "You may now kiss your bride." Eric and Sookie smiled at each other as they watched Eric's face turn almost predatory and he moved in for the kiss.

In their honeymoon bed, Sookie turned to Eric and asked, "Possessive much?"

He hit pause and said, "I'll show you possessive Mrs. Northman."

After a not so brief make-out interlude, Eric hit play again. On the video, the music started. To prepare, they'd rehearsed their first dance with Sookie in a dress similar to her wedding gown so Sookie would know exactly how it would feel and she was thrilled. "We really looked great!"

"Of course we did, we practiced over and over in the workout room."

The song played out as she giggled and said, "at least we didn't end the song the way we did at home."

He smirked. "Yes, consummation may have been required but not a public consummation."

Other's joined Eric and Sookie on the dance floor after their first dance was over. Eric hit stop then rewind two times before he paused and pointed to a man on the screen. He was hard to see as he was standing in the kitchen and only his face showed through the circle window on the upper part of the door. "Min älskade, I didn't see him during the ceremony, but THAT man," he touched the screen for her. "is your Great Grandfather Niall Brigant."

"WHAT?!" Sookie stared at the screen for a few minutes, studying the man's face. "Why didn't he say anything?"

"Niall can mask his scent, but too many of the vampires in attendance know who he is. He would have been drained."

"But, I mean . . . how did he know?"

"He somehow communicates with the Ancient Pythoness. She must have been the source."

"Cheese on rice."

"Indeed." He raised the remote. "Should we continue?"

She nodded and he hit play. They watched the video, enjoying the party again. On the screen, he saw Sookie talking to Russell and Bartlett, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. He asked about it.

"Oh, he was telling me about the Were he has as part of his court. We'll meet her at the Summit."

Eric was shocked. "A Were as part of his court?"

"Yes, she saved his life years ago and she almost lost her baby as a result. At the time, she had just finished law school. He hired her to work with his lawyer and she found ways to prove her worth; not just with legal work but with relations with Weres, Daemons and eventually humans after the Great Reveal."

"How did she save his life?"

"He was being transported in a van from the airport to his home and it was still daytime. There was an accident. This Were, Toni, was riding on the same highway and as she approached the scene to help, she realized the back of the van had vampires in coffins. She called her Packmaster for help and stood guard preventing the police from getting close and accidentally opening the coffins. The Packmaster arrived with their own local police who were Weres and got Russell and his vampire companion to safety. There was a bit of a scuffle before the Were police arrived because the human officers tried to get into the coffins. Toni was thrown to the ground and they feared she would lose her baby. Since she was mated to add to the pack specifically, it caused great concern, but she and the baby were fine."

"Wow."

"Yeah, wow."

They looked back at the DVD, they'd left it running while she told the story since it was just the music and dancing being shown now. Onscreen, she could see Eric chatting with King Benito of California. "And what were you guys talking about?"

"The kneel."

"You knew that would cause a stir."

"He pointed it out as he is Pledging to his human companion this fall." Sookie gasped. "I know it's becoming a trend. Anyway, he commended me for the bold move and was now considering it since his companion was there and she was quite moved by the vows."

"Wow."

"I know. Of course Andre walked up and called me pathetic, but I would expect nothing less from him."

The music on the video stopped as Jason took the stage to start some speeches. They heard the tap tap tap on the microphone and laughed as they remembered how much Jason wanted to give a speech, but how nervous he was at the same time. "Uh, hey there!" The room on the video became quiet and turned towards him. "Thanks, y'all were quick to quiet down. I ne'er get that response at the bar." A few humans in the room chuckled. Eric mentioned to Sookie while they were watching that at the time, he'd heard a few vampires were impressed that the 'man that shot Steve Newlin' was in the room. Jason continued. "Well, I just wanna say a few words to my li'l sister and her husband. At least I think he's her husband now. I mean, it ain't legal y. . ." He put his finger up and walked away for a second. "Uh yeah, Pammy just confirmed they're married. Well, back to my speech." He raised his glass, "To Sookie and her husband, Eric. Sook, I love ya and I'm so happy you got married. I never thought ya would, so that's just great. I even won a bet with Hoyt." The room laughed lightly at the idiot on stage. "Eric, ya been real good to ma sister and Gran and I'm proud to call you my brother-in-law. I still wished youda lemme throw you a bachelor party. I mean I had a stripper ready an e'erything, but that was your loss. She was great!" Sookie remember that her Gran and Jason's date had groaned at this point and hung their heads in shame. "Well, let's raise a glass, uh, oh, that don't work with all the vampires. Let's pretend to raise a glass if ya ain't got one in your hand to Eric and Sookie. May they have a long and happy life, wait is it death? Anyway, may they stay together in whatever condition they choose for, well forever."

Lafayette, Hoyt and Sam helped Jason out by starting the here heres. Some of the vampires chimed in to show support.

When the toast was over, Eric paused the video and turned to look at Sookie very seriously. "Sookie, are you sure you're related?" She nodded while laughing. "Was he dropped HARD on his head as an infant, or repeatedly?"

"Not to my knowledge." Her eyes went wide at a sudden realization. "GOD, I hope our kids don't get any of those genes. Well, he is loyal and kind hearted – that I wouldn't mind. It's the lazy and stupid that scares me."

"We'll overcome any bad genes with proper upbringing."

"Speaking of upbringing," she pointed to the TV and started to play the video again. "Here comes the part where Gran comes over for her little speech."

They watched as Gran took an elbow from each of them and guided them to a corner. "Gran," The on-film Eric warned, "everyone can still here us in this corner."

They laughed as they caught the look on Gran's face as she moved them out into the kitchen. The camera had not followed. Sookie paused the video again and exclaimed "Thank goodness we don't need to relive that speech. First she's dying soon so we need to 'step it up' on the babies then she's fine to be living on her own. I think she had too much wine."

"Her baby girl just got married, give her a break."

"Taking her side AGAIN?! Sometimes I think you're with me so you can have a Gran."

He exaggerated a gasp and put his hand over his heart dramatically. "My secret has been discovered!"

"Uh huh, just hit play."

The video was playing the dance Sookie had with Godric. You could see the two were deep in conversation, but both still happy. "What were you talking about with your Papa?"

"You already said it: We were talking about what I should call him as my father-in-law. We tossed around some pretty funny names but we settled on Papa."

"What else was suggested?"

"Daddy Warbucks, Far, Ater, Pop."

"Pop?"

"I thought of that one figuring if he was Pop, when we had children they could call him Pop-pop." Eric laughed at her reasoning. "But he assured me they could call him Pop-pop without him being called a soda."

The remainder of the video was mostly all dancing except for the feeding part. In a human tradition, Eric fed Sookie a bit of the wedding cake and she surprised him by serving him her blood made into a gelatin form from bone marrow. She researched the process and spoke with Pam. Sookie used some bagged blood and both Pam and Thalia agreed to taste it ahead of time. Pam felt that the sample she tried didn't taste like blood, it wasn't bad; it just wasn't like the real thing. Sookie hoped that since Eric felt Sookie's blood was better tasting than other blood he would still enjoy the treat. To stack the deck, she used a large quantity of her blood that she had concentrated before adding the marrow to turn it into a blood 'jello jiggler'. To ensure Eric really was surprised, she did all her cooking in at Jason's so he wouldn't smell all the blood aroma she was sure the process of reduction created. She smiled to herself again as she watched the reveal of her surprise on the screen. Eric stopped the video. "I still can't believe you did that. It really tasted like you, a little more subtle than when I drink it from the source, but you."

"It took a great deal of blood so it's not something we can do all the time, but maybe an anniversary treat?"

"I like that idea."

The DVD ended with Sookie and Eric's exit from the estate back to their home for their consummation. Eric hit stop and said, "Now, Mrs. Northman, let's reenact the rest of the night from the wedding."

"Good idea."

OOOoooOOOooo

After an accurate reenactment of their wedding night, Eric carried Sookie to the kitchen of his island home to feed her. He was cutting up fruit while she grabbed some of the nuts she'd glazed earlier. "So." She started.

"So?"

"The ultimatum? You promised to explain it."

"Ah." He paused and handed her the plate of fruit. "A while ago I told you about the committee we formed to prepare for the review." She nodded. "I also told you about Godric's challenge to me about getting to know humans more personally."

"I remember that. I've been curious and I've also wondered if this all related to Theresa."

"You made that connection correctly." He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face before he continued. "Your Papa was pretty upset about my attitudes. So upset he was planning to meet the sun thinking that I was a failure."

Sookie gasped and tears formed in her eyes. She couldn't conceive of the pain that must have caused; especially since she could feel a ghost of the pain through the bond even now, 25 years later. "Eric. There are no words for that."

"It was pretty bad. As you can imagine, I felt like I had been stabbed. The discussion was quite . . . difficult and I wound up on my knees begging him to stay. It was then that he gave me an ultimatum: I had 25 years to be loved and TO LOVE a human. I accepted the ultimatum as it was keeping him off the roof at that time, and I planned to talk him out of it as quickly as I could. When I realized that wasn't going to happen, I decided to try. Theresa was my first failed attempt. I trained her, as you know, until she loved me as a slave. Godric was disappointed to say the least. I also missed the part about having to love in addition to being loved."

"Now I understand Theresa more, and her comments about how Godric also felt responsible."

"He shouldn't feel responsible, it was my mistake and it was a hell of a mistake."

"Yeah, but that's behind all of us now. What happened after Theresa?"

"Well, I continued on and dated for a while. I did meet a lovely woman who ran a bookstore and she was very nice, but not special. Godric again did not approve since I wasn't sharing my nature with her and I did use glamour to keep the relationship going. I also didn't commit to her with monogamy." He'd felt a bit of jealousy but it went away quickly. "The best was when Pam finally talked me into a dating service."

Sookie chuckled. "You're kidding."

"Nope. You should have seen me try to fill out the questionnaire. After a few months of trying, my relationship counselor met with me to return my fee since the service had failed to make a connection." Sookie was full on laughing now. "Oh Sookie, it gets better." He laughed with her. "Pam wound up dating the relationship counselor for a while."

"The irony of that is too much." She put her head on the table while she kept laughing. Eventually she calmed. "So, that ultimatum is over, right? He won't meet the sun? This is just about 25 years ago, right?"

"This September is the full 25 years, but we don't need to worry. He won't meet the sun. He confirmed that when I . . . it was actually when I left you. He hated that I did it, but he realized I loved something more than myself."

"Oh. I don't like to think about that time."

"Neither do I min älskade." He was quiet for a moment while some of her snack. Then he brought up some memories. "The first few weeks you were with me, I called Godric frequently. I wanted to send you home but he commanded me to keep you."

"WHAT?"

"Are you not happy he did? Why are you so upset?"

"I am happy now, but jeez, I could have gone home?"

"Well maybe, but you would have lost Jason again. We had his crime and required punishment."

"Yeah, I'd almost forgotten that."

"I don't know about you, but given the bigger picture I wouldn't change anything."

Sookie was quiet for a bit and she finally agreed. "Yeah, bigger picture. I wouldn't change a thing. I think I could have skipped being put in the corner or that damn ward that burned me."

She could feel the pang of guilt when she made those comments. "Ouch."

"I didn't bring those things up to hurt you. Just saying."

"You were just trying to make me feel bad so I'd buy you something expensive to make it up to you." His face was serious but she could feel the amusement.

"Don't you dare!"

"Oh, I might dare. My WIFE should be dripping in jewels. You are married to a Sheriff after all."

"That damn tiara drips enough! Don't make this about work." She stood to put her plate and glass in the dishwasher.

"Not work, but your station."

She screwed her face up at him. "Don't make me mad."

"Oooh, if you're mad can we have angry sex?"

"Can't you think about anything else?"

"We're on our honeymoon, I'm pretty sure I'm in the right." He rose and started stalking her now.

"You always like to be right." In response to his stalking, she was backing up to move out of the kitchen.

"Yep. I was right about you." He continued moving forward towards her as he spoke.

Now she was at the sliding doors to the beach. "How so?"

"You were worth every fight, every frustration."

"And what do you get for being right?" One foot was out the door.

"YOU!" As he launched towards her, she ran for it squealing with excitement.

**AND - I noticed a trend. When there is just fun and love in the chapters - I get less reviews. It's the drama that does it. So - turn that observation around and go on - write a review! Please?**

**m**


	45. Great Expectations

**I truly do live by that phrase, if it wasn't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done. I'm pretty sure 11PM on Sunday is pretty darn close to the last minute since I promised myself I would post today.**

**Now, I must sleep. I truly hope you enjoy what happens in this chapter. I enjoyed it and some of the subsequent sections so much I had to rewrite 8 chapters to change something. What is that something? You won't know until Chapter 52. I'll explain it at the end in an author's note.**

**Thanks to all that are following, reviewing and reading. I truly appreciate you.**

**I updated the teasers page – it's especially juicy this time. Take a look (go to my wordpress link from my profile).**

Chapter 44 – Great Expectations

June 20, 2004

They were about to take off to return home from the honeymoon when Eric's phone rang. He'd been so caught up in the honeymoon that he'd almost forgotten his weekly Sunday evening call with Hunter. Giving Sookie a nudge that he was taking the call, he got up and headed to the cockpit. "Hello Hunter."

"Hi Uncle Eric. How was your trip?"

"We are just about to take off, hang on for a moment." He peeked his head in and spoke to the pilot of the privately chartered plane indicating he just needed a few minutes on the phone then they could take off. Even though he could use the phone once they were in the air, the NTSB still required that mobile phones be shut down for takeoff and landing. "Ok Hunter, I have just a few minutes before we take off. We had a lovely week. Your Aunt Sookie is nicely tanned from lying out in the sun every day."

"Lying out? That sounds boring."

"Well, she read at the say time."

"Did you go snorkeling like you told me?"

"We did. I carried an underwater light for Aunt Sookie so she could see in the dark. I also had an underwater camera and can't wait to show you some of the fish we saw."

"That sounds way better than lying out."

"I agree. I'm not too interested in the sun either."

"Yeah, but for very different reasons."

They last Wednesday, right?"

"It did. I had fun. I'm not too good though."

"It's only your first week. Give it time. You know your Aunt Sookie was a softball pitcher. She'll help you practice."

"That's COOL! I can't wait for that. Oh, something happened with the team shirts you got us."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, normally the company that sponsors the shirts has their name on the back, but our shirts have an ice-cream parlor logo on the back. It shoulda been Fangtasia. I tried to tell the coaches that something was wrong but . . ."

"No Hunter, those are the right shirts. I bought the ice-cream parlor since I didn't think the parents would want Fangtasia on the back of the t-ball shirts. Fangtasia is a bar for grown-ups. The ice-cream place is better for kids."

"OH. That explains the coupons for free ice-cream after our games. That's cool!"

"Yes, that explains the coupons." Sookie gave him an eye roll over his spoiling but he ignored it. "How about daycare, did you talk to that little girl, Sally like we discussed?" Hunter had taken a shine to one of the girls in daycare and had opened up to Eric about it at his last sleepover. Eric still worried that Hunter was bonding more to him than his father, but he supposed that was just leftover from the years of hurtful thoughts Remy had. While everyone knew those thoughts had been unintentional, they still scared the boy and Eric was happy to serve as a confidant. For Hunter, he loved talking to Eric. He remembered little things, like Sally's name or the day his T-ball started and he never made him feel strange. Eric was his best friend.

"I did. We sat together for snack on Thursday and today we had a play date at her house. Her Mommy makes really good chocolate chip cookies."

"Better than Gran's?"

"NO WAY! But still good. She had a bunch of baby dolls and wanted to play house though. That didn't really work for me so we played a game instead. I don't know that I'll go to her house again. Those dolls . . . dude, it creeped me out." Eric bellowed at Hunter's comments and Sookie raised an eyebrow. She'd tuned out their conversation after hearing about the spoiling Eric had done so her nose was buried in a book and she hadn't heard Hunter. Now she couldn't wait 'til they hung up.

"Someday you'll like playing house Hunter, I promise. Perhaps you can invite her to your house and play with your dinosaurs next time."

"Eh, I don't know. I think she's out of my system for now."

"A heartbreaker at four? Should I follow you and glamour the memories out of all the young ladies you leave behind Hunter?"

"It's just one girl."

"Ok, we'll see if that changes. I must go so the pilot can get the plane in the air. We will talk to you this week after we've settled in from the honeymoon."

"Ok. Later . . . big dude."

"Later little dude."

Sookie smiled as she heard them end their call in their usual playful manner but she wasted no time reminding him that he was spoiling Hunter again.

"Hush woman. It's just ice-cream."

"It's an ice-cream PARLOR, not a 'nutty buddy'."

"I don't know what that buddy has to do with my sponsoring shirts."

She shook her head at his HARD HEAD and moved onto her curiosity about the laugh. "What had you laughing so hard?"

When he told her about his comments on playing with dolls, he expected her to laugh and instead was shocked when she started crying? "Why are you crying Sookie?"

"He's got a girlfriend? He's growing up."

Eric looked around the plane as if the flying machine had the answers to this particular crying fit. Of course it didn't but he still was unsure what to say or do. "Sookie, it was a play date. They weren't picking out china."

"I'm being unreasonable, I know that. I think I'm just sad that we are already leaving your island home and Vegas is coming up."

"OUR island home and we still have a week and a half before we leave for Vegas. We're pretty lucky we have this time. I don't know why Felipe and Fons changed the date. But it works out better for us. It was pretty tight between the only date we could get Amma for the wedding, then having to go to Vegas almost right away. Now we have a break."

"I agree, I like the break but I can still be sad the Honeymoon is over." She stood and nudged his leg. "Can I sit in your lap? I need to snuggle."

"Certainly. Or we can go play house in the back Mrs. Northman." He waggled his eyebrows indicating the type of playing house that would happenif they moved to the back.

"Mr. Northman, whatever do you mean? The honeymoon's over, we're married; I think we go on that once a week on Saturday sex schedule now."

"That isn't funny AT ALL."

To Sookie it was, she cackled all the way to the back of the plane.

OOOoooOOOooo

Back in Shreveport, Eric and Sookie settled into married life. Sookie enjoyed the recognition of family and close friends that they were married but other than completing Sookie's legal name change, the relationship itself hadn't changed. The one thing that did change was their bank accounts. Just as she had promised, Sookie agreed to the combined accounts and Eric was all too happy to add her to everything. When he handed her the portfolio of their combined assets, she was a little overwhelmed, but kept her feelings in check because she'd promised to share. Once her money was moved into their new combined bank account, he knew she really accepted everything.

After Eric was still home with her for the third night in a row she finally asked why. "I love having you home, but what about your adoring fans at Fangtasia?" She was washing some dishes so she was asking while looking half over her shoulder where he was seated at the kitchen counter.

"Those days are over. I found and hired a sexy vampire to sit on the throne and enthrall the vermin."

"You hired someone to sit there and look pretty?"

"I did. I'm done with that phase in my life. I'm a married man and even before we were married I could hardly stand the pathetic attempts to capture my attention. I can conduct most of my Sheriff duties from here and will schedule time to be at Fangtasia when an in person meeting or punishment is required."

"Why didn't you tell me before now?"

"I wanted to be sure that Eamon would work out. He's been in place since just before the Pledging and the humans are quite taken with his looks and his Irish accent. He's also an enforcer for the rules at such a public location. He's only 400 so he's not nearly as strong as me, but he can hold his own until Pam calls me. He had the opportunity to punish a local vampire already so he's getting respect as needed. I didn't want you to be disappointed if it didn't work. So now that he's settled in, you're stuck with me."

"I couldn't be happier about that."

He zoomed to stand behind her and enveloped her in a hug. "I'm glad you're happy. Maybe we should celebrate."

"You are insatiable." She even added some tut tut noises while she shook her head.

"I am. I also know there is one room we never christened in this house."

"The office is not my favorite room and you know why."

"Maybe a good pounding will remove the memories of being put in the corner from your mind." He paused then asked, "Please Sookie; talk about work has me in the mood to bend you over a desk."

"I'm not sure a good pounding can erase that memory. You are so pushy." The mischievousness crept into the bond just a second before she yelled, "Race ya there!" And she was off running.

When she got to the office she saw the desk was completely empty and she questioned him about it. "You already cleared off the desk?"

He had the decency to look at her sheepishly, "I was hoping."

"You're lucky you got me all fired up. You're also lucky I never put on anything but your shirt after we woke up."

"I am very lucky indeed." After taking a seat in his desk chair, he took on a very serious look, patted the desk in front of him. "Hop up, I'm . . . hungry little girl and I want to eat you. Now."

'_Oh God, was that an actual gush of something between my legs_?' Sookie wondered as she felt something wet between her legs, well actually down her thighs now. She loved dominant Eric every once and a while and sometimes when he was in this mood it was even more fun to play the bad girl. "No."

That sexy eyebrow cocked as he repeated her word. "No?"

"No. It's not what I want to do right now." '_Liar_' she called herself, she was on fire for him and he knew it too, but this was too good. They'd toyed with some role play and both of them being the dominant at different times. She discovered through that safe and secure exploration that she preferred Eric as the dominant – when they played that way. He never took things too far, and using the bond he ensured she was feeling secure with whatever they were doing.

"You forget yourself little girl."

"No. . . Sir."

His cock twitched at that word. They didn't engage in this often, but when Sookie 'no', it just set him off. "You got the sir right, but that's it."

"What are you going to do about it?" . . . "Sir."

'_Again with the sir and his cock twitching. Gods how he loved this woman_.' "What do you think I should do about it?"

Rather than speak, Sookie turned and bent over the end of the desk, flipped up Eric's shirt and positioned her legs wide open. She knew she'd done the right thing when she heard him growl and felt the lust was bouncing between them through the bond.

He rose and moved slowly to stand behind Sookie. '_She loved the few times I spanked her, she's obviously asking for it. Who am I to deny her_?'

The wait was almost unbearable. Eric could give little spanks that made some noise and stung for only a moment and she loved it. But right now, he did nothing. '_Didn't he know the wait was . . . the hardest part? Of course he did_.' Instead of a spank, his fingers entered her cunt. "You're so wet for me little girl. Are you anxious for your punishment?" When she said nothing he leaned into her ear and whispered . "Are you?"

"Y . . . yes." He smirked; then brought his hand down on one cheek. "Ahh, so good Eric." So he did it again. "More!"

He delivered two more spanks and then plunged into her, filling her completely. She came immediately but he kept pounding. "My naughty girl likes to be filled by my cock, doesn't she?"

"Yes." He spanked her and she added, "Sir."

After a few more thrusts he pulled out and put her on the desk, on her back with her legs over his shoulders. "I'm still hungry and you denied me earlier." She came again from his talented tongue and he rose to continue his pounding. "Sookie, so wet, so tight."

"Eric, so close." He leaned in and bit her breast, it was the first time he'd taken blood from there and she was surprised how much she enjoyed it. In fact, she enjoyed it so much she had an orgasm that squeezed him so tightly, he joined her.

In their after play time bliss, he was lazily licking her breast sealing the wounds while he waited for his blood, ever present in her body, to complete the healing. After several moments, she finally spoke. "God Eric that felt good. Why haven't you bitten me there before?"

"It's more for pleasure than a feeding as there are only small blood arteries and veins present in your luscious breasts. I also wasn't sure if you'd like it, but now I know you really did."

"You got that right. So good Eric, I feel so good."

"So do you feel better about this office now?"

"Oh yeah. Course, punishment does seem to be the trend in this room. I think we'll need to try something different to get that association out of my head for the office."

"I'll think of something."

OOOoooOOOooo

On July 3rd, Sookie and her guards were enjoying lunch at Merlotte's. Tara had come over from her shop to spend time with her as well. They were waiting for their meals when Sam and Sheriff Bud joined them.

"What's going on guys?"

"Sookie, we're really glad you're in town and not in Shreveport."

"Well Bud, we're staying the night to attend the July 4th festivities tomorrow. Did you need me for something?"

"Holly has reported her son Cody missing – it appears that he's been taken."

"OH MY GOD. WHEN?!"

"He's been missing since last night."

She already knew Sheriff Bud wanted her to help them by reading minds. She was a little pissed that he conveniently chose to recognize her gift when he needed it. Given that a boys life is at stake, she put her anger aside. "Suspects?"

"He was with his father, David, and his new wife, Allie, at the fair in Minden. He went missing from there and they both claim to have no involvement."

"But you don't believe them."

"No, we . . ."

"I'm sorry, in the interest of time that was a statement not a question. I already know you don't believe them because they've been trying to get custody of Cody for about 6 months. Can you arrange for me to meet up with everyone? I can appear to be there as moral support for Holly, you guys can ask the questions and I'll pull what I can."

Bud looked relieved. "That's all we can ask for Sookie." He shifted nervously in his seat. "You know, I have no right to ask for your help after the way this town . . . after the way WE ALL treated you and didn't acknowledge your gift."

"I appreciate your words Bud, but let's just get moving – we have a child to save."

An hour later Sookie was holding Holly's hand for support when David walked into the meeting room at the Sheriff's office. He'd been told to come in for a command-center type meeting. Kenya Jones was in the room with Sheriff Bud to ask questions. "Holly, David I know we went over some of this already, but now that you've had time, we need to ask some questions again. You see, we've found that the initial trauma of a kidnapping can impact the parents to the point they can't answer the questions fully. This is routine, I assure you."

David scoffed and muttered under his breath but Holly answered, in on the ruse. "Kenya, anything to help find my baby. Ask anything." Sookie squeezed her hand in a show of support.

"Thank you Holly."

She started with Holly, trying to make their intentions less obvious. "Holly, to confirm, you have no idea of the whereabouts of your son Cody?"

"No Kenya I do not."

"Can you tell us anywhere he could be hidden, maybe if he was scared or upset about something?"

"I don't know. . ."

It was just that easy. Sookie barked out his location. "He's at the old Bargain Hotel just outside town with Allie and her two kids." Looking directly at David she asked, "Why would you steal your own child? You see him regularly."

His eyes were wide – not being from Bon Temps he never even knew so much as a rumor about this woman accusing him of kidnapping, yet she clearly pulled something from his head. "What are you doing?"

"Just answer the question."

"I don't have to answer anything without a lawyer present."

She turned to her former co-worker to tell her what she'd heard. "He wanted to punish you Holly. He's always hated that you left him and got Cody out of the deal."

The conversation degraded into a yelling match between Holly and her ex-husband but Sookie stopped them. "GUYS! We have the information to get Cody. Stop yelling." Then she turned to Bud. "Can you get over there?"

"Andy's already on it. He was listening in."

They kept David in the meeting room, holding him until a vampire could come and glamour the mind reading from his head and plant that he dropped a key to his room at the Bargain Hotel. Andy arrived a few minutes later with Cody, Allie (in cuffs) and their two other children. Holly screamed for Cody and ran to him. At this point, it was getting late in the afternoon so Sookie simply excused herself quietly to go home. Everyone was rightly occupied with Cody's return and she was no longer needed. She should've felt proud at helping Cody and she was happy to have helped, but not proud. The incident brought back memories of how the town treated her and instead of proud, she just felt used.

Potts and Alcide were impressed, as usual, with Sookie. "Wow Sweets. You could be a regular detective, saving one child at a time."

"They were desperate. It's the only reason Bud asked for my help."

"He respected your gift and you know it. Don't belittle this."

"Alcide, you didn't grow up in this town with the stares AND thoughts of everyone looking down at you. First I was pitied because my parents died, then they all felt that Gran should've sent Jason and me to an orphanage or foster care cause she couldn't afford us, finally when I was older I was just plain 'Crazy Sookie'. I KNOW most of the town believes what I can do because I've heard in from their thoughts – but they would never admit it out loud. They all thought if they supported me, everyone else would think they were crazy."

"Let's just get you home Sweets. It seems like the events today have you out of sorts, maybe bringing back old ghosts."

"Yeah, just take me home."

Sookie was grumpy and the family avoided her for the rest of the night. Not even Eric could get through to her and he just couldn't understand why she seemed so troubled over the day – she'd certainly endured worse. Knowing Sookie was upset, Eric tolerated that every word she said was either snarky or toxic and he really hoped she'd get over her mood – and fast. Still, he was able to convince her to go on with their plans for July 4th. He'd planned a special surprise and he even hoped it would turn her thinking around.

Sookie didn't go to the afternoon festivities, but she did attend later that night with Eric. His surprise was a professional fireworks show he'd put on for the benefit of Bon Temps. Eric and the Mayor had planned the show to collect parking donations to be used at for the local kid's clinic. In addition to the bulk of the Bon Temp's residents coming out, they had many visitors from the surrounding towns due to Eric's advertising. As a result, their donations were greater than they'd anticipated and Eric was pleased. He was working hard to become part of Bon Temps since it would soon be his permanent home. When the Mayor called Eric up to recognize him for his contributions, he invited Sookie up as well. "Eric, my intent was to call you up to thank you on behalf of the town for helping us raise money for our children's clinic. Now I am pleased to be able to properly recognize your wife's efforts from yesterday." Sookie was stunned so she lowered her shields. That's when she felt it: acceptance, gratitude, and shame from the town. The one that affected her the most was acceptance. The Mayor went on to thank Eric for the fireworks show and then gushed over Sookie's assistance with Cody's rescue. To keep her secret safe, he used words like talent and unique perspective to describe her role, and again she listened to the town's thoughts. They recognized her gift and many felt badly for the way Sookie had been treated by themselves personally or the town in general. When the Mayor mentioned looking forward to Eric's permanent move to Bon Temps, she expected the vampire hate to start, but it didn't. Again, she felt the acceptance and a few bits of lust from some of the women in the audience. Eric was feeling the pride and joy coming from Sookie and he was happy that her foul mood had ended. They made their way off the podium to stand with the family again and they were stopped many times as people offered their thanks and welcome. By the time they were back to their table at the picnic grove, Sookie was crying hysterically.

"_What the fuck? I can't keep up with these moods_.' Eric really couldn't figure out what was going on in her head so when he moved her away from the crowd to ask her about it. "Sookie, what is it?"

"The town is accepting you, us, our marriage. I mean, you heard everyone welcoming you to town just now. I HEARD everything they thought. They accept our marriage Eric; they accept my gift and some even felt shame about how I'd been treated. The few folks who aren't here are the ones I don't care about. Like Arlene and her preachin' ways about vampires being evil." She wiped her eyes.

"That's all great, and I'm happy for you, but you're really emotional about this."

"Eric, we've talked about my youth before. I've NEVER felt this type of acceptance from my own home town. This is just something I've waited for my whole life. Tonight, I'm not 'crazy Sookie'.

"As long as you're happy, I'm happy. I'm also happy that the cleaning folks do our laundry, you've been especially . . . " He stopped cold at a sudden realization but kept his thoughts to himself and tried to find a new word to end his sentence. Just yesterday, according to Alcide, she was berating the whole town, tonight she'd done a 180 and was here happy about the town. He'd seen similar mood swings in the past few days.

"Especially what?"

"Teary, that's all."

"Well, I think I'm justified this time. Gran also got misty eyed when the Mayor spoke– so it's not just me."

"Fair enough." He kept his mouth shut, and decided to keep his eyes open to watch for more signs.

OOOoooOOOooo

The night they were starting their journey to Vegas he rose and he knew for sure. Pregnant! He was positive she was pregnant. The past few days he was pulling the clues together: She smelled sweeter, she tasted sweeter, and in direct contrast, she was just plain moody. Hormones were changing his little Sookie and he couldn't be more excited even with the grumpiness and crying spells. The new clue tonight was the heartbeat. He was sure he could hear it. _'Pregnancy really explains so much. Why is she waiting to take the pregnancy test?_' He wondered. '_I can't keep this to myself my longer and I'm sure the father shouldn't tell the mother she's pregnant. Given her moodiness, I might be staked for getting something like that wrong_._ Yes, I'm sure I finally met 'hormonal Sookie' and it's not pretty._ _Still, I'm positive I've picked up the heartbeat tonight and I want to put my head there and listen in. She better pee on some sticks and soon_.' He held her while she slept a bit more but regretfully, he had work that had to be completed. They'd been home from their honeymoon for a few days and tonight he needed to finalize his plans for Chow who was handling his sheriff duties during the Summit. With a final kiss to her head, he left her in bed so he could take a shower and get to work.

Eric emerged from his shower to see Sookie rubbing her eyes to wake. "Good evening Mrs. Northman." He was still extremely happy to use that name for her.

"Hey, you didn't get me up?"

"No," Before he finished his thoughts, he leaned over to kiss her. "You needed the sleep and I have work to get done before we go."

"Well, now I must get up so I can finish packing." Needing her own shower, she walked by and started undressing. Oh, he longed to join her but he needed to call Chow, confirm the travel plans to New Orleans and finalize his packing. Once all his chores were done they could play for a short while before they had to hit the road to New Orleans. Hoping his work would go quickly he vamped to the library to get started.

Sookie stepped into the library a short while later with her hands behind her back and a smile on her face. "Eric."

He looked up and mirrored her smile immediately. "Yes min älskade?"

"I did something when I woke this afternoon that you might want to know about."

Hopeful she was about to deliver some good news, he smiled softly. "Something that has you quite excited now that you aren't so sleepy. Tell me please."

"I've been waiting for you to ask me about my day like you usually do."

"Well, you were being lazy and sleeping when I first got up so our routine was thrown off."

"Well, you'll just have to get used to that." His excitement grew, pretty confident about where she was going with the conversation.

"Get used to what? You throwing me off? Happens already."

"No, I mean you have to get accustomed to my sleeping extra."

His smile grew; he couldn't hide it any longer. "Why is that, my Sookie?"

"Cause it takes extra energy to grow a baby." With that, she moved her hands from her back to show him that she'd take 4 separate pregnancy tests, each a different brand. "Look Papa Bear!"

"I'm looking, Sookie, I am." His excitement caused him to grab her quickly and pull her a hug. They both misted up as they clung to each other. "You've made me so happy Sookie. I'm so excited." To finally take a good listen to her belly, he dropped to his knees and pressed an ear to her belly. He moved his head a few times then finally told her what he could hear. "I hear our baby Sookie. It's quiet, but it's there."

A sob overtook her. "You're going to be a Daddy."

"And you're going to be a Mommy." He rose and wiped the tears from her eyes. "What made you take the tests today?"

"Harold suggested waiting until 6 weeks to take a pregnancy test after the IUI, and that's today. Besides, I was a bit queasy this morning." Her arms rose and then slapped her sides in frustration as she thought of something. "UGH, I'll have to go through morning sickness without you. You're resting for that."

"I read you can get it anytime of the day, so let's not assume I'm off the hook yet. I'll trade you extra poopy diaper duty though, just in case it is limited to the time of day I am resting."

"I'm taking that offer to the bank. You read about pregnancy?"

"Yes min älskade, every chance I can get. Pam sends me stuff to read as well."

"That's . . . that's emo behavior again and I love it." Suddenly, her eyes grew wide and she plopped down quickly in one of the chairs as a realization hit her. "Eric. I'm going to be a mother. A MOTHER! What if I do it wrong?" Her head fell in her hands as she finished her last thought.

"Sookie, I'm pretty sure we're going to both make mistakes but any child will be blessed to have you as a mother. You have a bigger heart that anyone I know. Look at what you've done for Hunter in just a few months. He adores you."

"He worships you."

"It's my quiet."

"That was the start but he loves that you've never treated him like a freak. His thoughts, not my words. Remy has really improved but Hunter's thoughts still drift back to the hurtful thoughts and actions from his father. It's too bad that taking Desmond's blood didn't work." She shook her head as if trying to clear the thoughts in her own head away and declared, "enough talk about that. Back to US being parents. PARENTS ERIC!" Her comments were spoken with a laugh.

Her laughter was contagious and he joined her before asking, "Can we tell anyone?"

"I did leave a message for Harold. As far as telling anyone else, we should wait. 12 weeks is the norm, you know, after the risk of miscarriage is reduced. "

"I have to wait to say anything?!"

"Yes, but you've kept quiet for a few days, you can make it more."

"How did you know. . ."

"You started smiling when I mentioned something I did when I got up. You've been waiting for me to take the tests, haven't you?"

"Busted."

OOOoooOOOooo

He finished work a short while later and returned to their bedroom to see Sookie checking her packed luggage for the Summit. Eric was on the bed trying his hardest to get her to calm down when she asked him for confirmation on her packing. "Two gowns, right?"

"Sookie, you've been over your packing list a million times. You've packed everything from the list, right?"

"I did."

"Then stop fussing."

"It distracts me."

"From what?"

He watched as she chewed on her lip and finally decided to answer him. "I'm worried. I know we've spent so much time practicing, but I'm scared to screw up and I'm scared of being kidnapped."

"Thalia, Pam or I will be with you every minute at night. We've already decided that the best course of action is for you to just not speak. I know it will be hard, but we've been testing you at Fangtasia."

"And you've all enjoyed hitting my hot buttons." He tried to hide his smile, but he failed. "Maybe."

She turned to fuss at the lingerie she'd packed. "Now I'm scared about the baby. I'm also pretty sure we won't be able to keep the secret. Especially not from Pam. She's going to feel your happiness."

"She'll feel joy, bliss, excitement – not just happiness. Our baby deserves a much bigger word than just happiness."

A chuckle escaped her. "You're a sap and I love it."

"Actually, I call myself a pansy when I'm like this. I blame it on Godric." He rubbed his face before bringing up another topic related to the pregnancy. "Sookie, I'll need Thalia to smell you. I want to determine if I picked up the changes in your scent because I am so in tune with you, or if the changes are obvious."

"What if they are?"

"We'll discuss it further after we know. We'll have time to talk in New Orleans before I need to rest for the day."

"OK. So I should just prepare to be sniff tested?" He nodded. "Gotcha, thanks for the warning." Focusing back on her luggage and her list, she was quiet for a few more minutes. Finally she spoke again and her words clearly indicated she was still nervous about the trip. "Gran and Jason are going to be safe, just in case?"

"Yes Sookie, you need to relax. They're being taken to a secret location and guarded. Gran will have a nurse, which I understand will make Jason happy as well."

"He really likes Michele, and he knows she's a Were. Maybe he'll find love."

"Unfortunately, the place where they are staying isn't that private, so unless your Gran becomes unconscious at night, Jason and Michele will need to refrain."

"Yeah, knowing it happens and HEARING it happens – that's a line Gran won't allow to be crossed. That's a moot point though; Michelle hasn't given in to sex yet."

He laughed for a moment before he turned to Sookie with a serious look. "What's that look for?"

"I have some other items that need to be packed."

"Oh really? Let me guess, La Perla or Agent Provocateur?"

"Harry Winston."

"When did you go to Dallas?"

"I selected items from the website and Pam picked these up while we were on our Honeymoon."

"You are such an opportunist."

"This is news to you?"

"Let me see, how much am I going to hate it?" He held up a shopping bag and proceeded to take out each box and open them. Earrings, bracelets and necklaces made from a variety of stones were in the individual boxes.

"I purchased a variety to go with all your outfits. You now also own every piece in the Sunflower Collection. I know this is not 'you' but as an asset to me and the state, we have to. . . "

"I know . . . appearances. They're all beautiful, I will admit it."

"So no 'stubbon Sookie'?"

"Nope, not tonight."

She added the last items to her bag. Now, he was packed, Sookie was packed and re-packed and he was ready to play. He approached her and put his hands around her waist. "What else needs to be done so we can just walk out the door at midnight?"

She blew out a breath and looked around. "I guess nothing." Turning in his arms and smiling she asked, "what do you have in mind?"

"A swim?"

"I'll get my suit." Even as she said it, she knew his response and she was right.

"Don't bother with that."

They swam and played for a while in the pool until Eric claimed it was time for a celebration.  
"What do you have in mind, my husband?"

"You know how I enjoy making love in the pool."

"But we're pregnant; surely we don't need to keep 'practicing for authenticity'?" She added a coy look while she bit her lip.

"Don't go innocent on me little girl." He growled out, "You know what it does to me."

"I don't know what you mean." She added a hair twirl with her response.

"Come here little girl." His arms were out waiting for her but she giggled and dove under the water to swim away. A chase! Oh how he loved a chase. He dove under and followed her at human speed as he always did. She made it out of the pool and ran into her cottage grabbing a towel on the way. The message was received, towel off before coming in so he followed the rules and joined her. The cottage only had a daybed and living room furniture so it always offered different 'opportunities' than the bedroom so Eric took a second to plan. "I'm going to catch you my little escapee."

He heard only giggles but it was the location that surprised him: She'd gone down to the light tight chamber. His wife was really on her game tonight. Extremely excited now, he followed her down and assessed her next direction. While he sniffed, she blindsided him by tackling him to the bed in the chamber proclaiming, "I WON!"

"You're in my arms. I'm pretty sure I won too."

The lust in the bond was overwhelming due to the chase so he wasted no time flipping her to all fours and thrusting in. His hand attacked her sex; rubbing and pinching a bit. The chase had brought out the beast a bit and his desire to possess her was in control. Sookie knew this would happen when she started the chase. In fact, it was why she started the chase. The accommodations at the Summit were going to be tight and they would have little privacy the entire trip. She wanted to make the most of this playtime. Eric knew she'd played with him, wanting to amplify the experience. He didn't care, he loved that she knew him so well. He looked to her back to see the skin he loved turn red from her blush. Drops of water from the salt water pool were still on her back he bent over and licked her while he pounded. The sensations took her over the edge and brought him with her. She was still panting when he walked via the underground tunnel to their bedroom to clean up.

Since they were running out of time, they quickly showered and were now heading to the car to meet the rest of their entourage: Sookie, Eric, Pam, Thalia, Peter, Alcide, and Potts. The group was driving to New Orleans so they could board the Queen's plane to Las Vegas shortly after first dark the next night.

Pam was smirking as she exited her car. "What has you both in such a mood?"

Without looking at Pam, Sookie responded quickly, "just honeymoon glow Pam."

Eric confirmed. "Yes Pam, just still happy from our vacation."

"Liars, both of you."

Eric gave her a pointed look and gritted out quietly enough for just Pam to hear. "Just. The. Honeymoon. Pam." He leaned in. "Got it?"

She did. "Yes Eric."

"Good." He moved towards Thalia and asked to speak with her privately. With a nod in agreement, he guided her to his sound proof office.

"What can I do for you Master?"

"First I need to emphasize that this is a private conversation."

"Of course."

"Thalia." He paused. "Sookie is pregnant." A smile formed at the edges of her lips even as she tried to suppress it. "I need to determine if her scent change is detectable. Did you notice anything?"

"No Master, but I will purposely get close to her and alert you. Should I check throughout the Summit? I understand that her hormones will continue to increase over time."

"Yes, that would be good." His fingers tapped on his desk as he thought something through. "If you notice a change at any time, signal me by just patting your stomach once – after you know you have my attention that is."

"Certainly. I will check as soon as we rejoin the group and nod or shake my head." Taking an unnecessary breath she continued. "Master, what if I do detect it? Will we be leaving?"

"I'll discuss that with Sookie if we need to. For her to not attend now would cause too much speculation. I think we would just need to risk the exposure. It won't take too long before it's common knowledge anyway. I just need to get her input."

"Very well. Shall we go test it now?"

They exited the office and walked towards the group. Eric noticed Thalia taking in the scents in the area at various distances from Sookie. The final test was Thalia standing directly next to Sookie under the pretense of admiring her earrings. Sookie went along with the ruse and explained that Eric had splurged on her with new jewelry for the Summit. Both Eric and Sookie looked for the verdict and visibly relaxed when she shook her head.

Using his arms to motion the group towards the two cars he requested, "Let's get in the cars, shall we?" He threw the keys to Pam. "You drive our car; Sookie and I want to make out in the back."

Everyone could hear Sookie take in her breath before she yelled out her response. "WE. WILL. NOT!" Sookie shouted while her hands were firmly on her hips. The group laughed collectively at their antics.

"No min älskade, I thought you would like to rest. The bench seat in the back will be the most comfortable for you."

"But not for the giant tree trunks you call legs." She turned to Pam. "Give him the keys back, he can drive. I have all day to sleep."

They arrived in New Orleans after a 5 hour drive having been slowed down by a pit stop Sookie needed. The luggage for Vegas was still packed in the back of the cars ready to go to the airport at first dark. Mustapha greeted them at the house. "I thought you would be asleep."

"Well Eric, I slept earlier and I wanted to ensure everything was ready for the trip to the plane since your Queen won't tolerate any delays. I'll nap after everyone has gone to rest for the day." He pointed to the kitchen. "I have everything arranged so we don't need to leave the house tomorrow to eat. You just rise and then head to the airfield."

"Excellent." Taking Sookie's hand, he guided her down the hallway. "Let's head to our room. I have some things we need to discuss before I go to rest."

Their overnight bags were unpacked and Sookie was just finishing at the sink when he started the conversation about the baby and Vegas. "It's possible that news of the baby will come out while we are there."

"I know." She said with a sigh. "It's not like we can keep it a secret. I would rather not have it come out at the Summit, but what options do we have?"

"Thalia will continually monitor your scent. I'll listen for the heartbeat to determine if the volume grows. All we can do is stay prepared."

"Agreed. Now, there is something else I want to agree on." Her pointer finger crooked, beckoning him to follow her into the bed. He did, of course.

"Yes dear?"

"I spent part of the drive thinking of baby names, or rather fetus names so we don't have to call the baby it."

A nickname for the baby was really a pansy thing to do but since Sookie wanted to do this, he would agree. He offered, "Like my little warrior?"

"Ah no. How about Booger?"

His face screwed up as if he'd been fed a booger. "Sookie, that's horrible."

She laughed. "I was only joking; I read it in a book once. Actually, how about Roo, Little Bit, Trouble, or Lentil?"

"Lentil? Where did that come from?"

"I looked up information about our pregnancy. We are like 6 weeks along and the baby is the size of a lentil bean."

"You said Roo first, is that your favorite?" She shrugged her shoulders. "Where does that come from?"

"I always liked Winnie the Pooh, and I don't want to call a baby Pooh – ever. It's not like we won't get enough poo as it is. Roo is another character in the book. He's the baby kangaroo."

"Well, I like that. Roo it is." Relaxing in the bed before Eric would be pulled into his rest, Sookie made another baby related request. "Can we look at nurseries?"

"Of course min älskade." He opened his laptop and held it so they could both see. "We'll need to plan on several different nurseries for our homes: Bon Temps, Shreveport, New Orleans, and Pam's."

"Pam's?"

"Of course, I want her to be able to take the baby and change poopy diapers with no arguments."

"Does she know this?"

He shook his head. "Sookie, Sookie, Sookie."

"What?"

"She's already got her nursery done."

"WHAT?"

"She won't tell me the theme and swore that I needed to keep her decorating a secret since she didn't want to put pressure on you, but her room is done. I paid the bill, so I know she's not lying."

"She kills me!"

"She's just really excited for a little brother or sister."

"I know. She's a sap too."

"DON'T say that to her."

"Oh believe me, I won't. I want to be alive to raise my child."

"And join me."

"Yes, and join you."

He leaned into her and asked. "What site should I pull up for nursery themes?"

"I like the stuff at Serena and Lily and Pottery Barn."

"Pam used Posh Tots, so we'll look there as well." They'd been moving through the sites for a short while when they got to the grey giraffes. "Oohh, look at the giraffes."

With his head bent close to Sookie's tummy he asked. "Roo, do you like giraffes or do you like the sailboats? Daddy likes the sailboats better." After speaking, he put his ear down to listen. "Sookie, Roo has selected the sailboats."

She burst out laughing. "That's not how this decision will be made. I assure you."

Gasping, Eric turned to speak to Roo again. "Do you hear that? Mommy is already overriding our wishes. I need you out so you can side with me. I'm pretty sure she gets her way while you are tucked inside her." His gaze turned to Sookie and he was very serious as he spoke. "The lucky kid gets to be inside you for 9 months straight. I do believe I am jealous of my own baby."

"Only you could make me squiggly with a statement like that." She laughed as she thought of something. "Jeez, you're going to be really jealous when I breastfeed."

"Not at all. It's a bodily fluid. I can join Roo." A very large smirk appeared and she could swear his eye even twinkled.

Unsure of how to even react to that, Sookie simply stated. "I'm not even going to spend time on that information at the moment." She pointed to the laptop. "Open the next theme please. We have plenty more to review."

"If you like Winnie the Pooh so much, why aren't we looking at those?"

"Well. I . . . ah already looked for those one other time when I was looking at nursery stuff. I haven't found a Winnie the Pooh set that I love. I like the muted colors on these," she pointed to the screen, "not the brights I saw so many of the Winnie of the Pooh's I found."

"Why do you feel, I dunno, hesitant? Just because you looked at nurseries already?" She looked down and nodded. "Sookie, that's nothing to feel guilty about. I was looking at baby toys that aid in development one night. It's just fun to daydream like that."

"Yeah you're right, but it's even more fun doing it together like we are now."

"Agreed."

They continued to look at baby products on several websites; both growing excited at the idea of having a baby and not really caring about the products as much as what they represented. The intimacy of the hours before resting was greater than they'd ever felt before. Just talking about their future, the future they'd both wanted now coming true created a connection for them they both felt. The bond was filled with joy as they marveled at the fact that the IUI took after the first try especially after reading about and preparing for a much longer process.

For Eric, the night had been profound. Speaking to his baby, imagining his or her arrival and watching the bliss on Sookie's face was one of the happiest times Eric could ever recall in his long undead life. He went to rest with his arms firmly wrapped around her and one hand on her tummy over their baby.

OOOoooOOOooo

He rose in the same position, pretty sure she hadn't even woken during the day. Tonight though, he couldn't let her sleep. They needed to get to the plane at first dark and they both needed showers and prep time. "Oh Mommy." He chuckled to himself. "Time to wake up little mother."

"No."

"Min älskade, you need to shower, get ready and eat. You spent the whole day in here, didn't you?"

It took her a while to rouse herself, stretching and yawning for a few minutes, but she finally answered him. "I did. You didn't go to rest until 8AM." She looked at the clock. "It's only 4PM, that's like 8 hours of sleep. But I am STARVING! Let me grab a quick shower so my hair can start drying. Can you braid it for me? I won't need to spend too much time on it that way."

"Of course. I'll shower after you while you're eating, then do it."

An adorable pout formed on her face as he started getting himself out of bed and check email on his phone. "What's wrong?"

"We didn't get a good evening kiss."

"My apologies to you and my baby. I'll fix that right now." And he did. Kneeling down to be at her tummy level, he kissed first then wished Roo a good day. "Now my baby, I am going to kiss your Mommy, you should sleep for this."

Once satisfied with her good evening kiss, Sookie made her way to the shower.

A short while later, he was braiding her hair after she'd eaten. "I want you to know how much I love you and respect you for what is going to happen at the Summit. I am certainly your companion, your partner, your husband, but I also realize that many of my fellow vampires will not see you that way and it will be hardest on you. For that, I apologize."

"Eric, we've been through this many times and I know how you feel about me. I'm not saying it won't hurt or anger me, but I get it, I really do."

"Thank you for that." With her hair now secured in a beautiful braid he declared her perfect. "And now, we are ready to go as the sun has set."

"Hey, Pam doesn't rise that early, how did she get ready?"

"She needed to get ready before she di. . . rested. As she doesn't move during the day, her hair won't be messed up."

"Well, there's an advantage I hadn't considered."

"Indeed. We ready?"

"I guess. Let's go to Vegas."


	46. Vegas Sucks, and not in a good way

**BE AWARE - the agenda for the Summit may not render correctly on certain readers. You're best bet is to read this chapter on wordpress. Just sayin'!**

**Finally – we get to Vegas! This chapter was originally almost double the size, but I broke it up with the intention of posting mid week. "What's that Mags – a mid-week post?"**

**"Yes, cross your fingers!"**

**Right now, I'm exhausted. I had a weekend away for scrapbooking. Good times, but I rarely sleep – I figure I can sleep at home, ya know?**

**Hope to 'see you' Wednesday of Thursday.**

**~m**

**If you want a preview (for Chapter 47) - go to my wordpress site. I also have images of the welcome packets for Summit attendees. To get your packet, you'll need to review this in wordpress.**

Chapter 45 – Vegas Sucks, and not in a good way

July 8, 2004

"COMPTON? We have to fly with COMPTON?" They were walking towards the Queen's plane that would fly the Louisiana contingent to Las Vegas.

"It would appear so min kära. Pam, Thalia and I will surround you. Amelia is joining us; maybe she can put a ward on him."

Sophie-Anne noticed the discussion including the scowl on Sookie's face and guessed correctly at what was happening. She approached Sookie and Eric. "I'm sure you don't want to see him, but he is selling his new software program at the Summit and he must be there. I'm seating him in the back section of the plane and you and Eric will be in the front. He won't be near you."

Sookie summoned all the politeness and strength of character she could and responded with a bow. "Your majesty, I appreciate that you have taken my needs into consideration over this very difficult situation."

Eric flooded the bond with pride but he still felt quite a bit of frustration, though not directed at her. He felt that was going to be the standard until they left Vegas; many of his fellow vampire were going to look down on her and she would be pissed most of the time. Instead of dwelling on the situation, he took her arm, "Shall we board?"

"Certainly Eric."

True to her word, Sophie Anne had Bill situated in the back of the plane and Sookie relaxed when she realized it was a completely separate room; she couldn't even see him.

As she was settling into her seat, she heard her name. "Sookie!"

"Uncle Des! I didn't know you would be on this plane."

"Of course, I'm part of the Queen's entourage."

"How about Glad and Diantha? Did they fly out with the other day guards today, or. . . never mind, I see them boarding now." The two colorfully dressed girls waved at Sookie and made their way to the front of the plane. She contained her laugh at their outfits and hair. It seemed they had some kind of contest between them to wear the most colors and patterns at one time while also adding vibrant colored highlights to their hair. Tonight, they also had feathers tied into their locks as well.

"Werelookingforwardtospendingthedayswithyou." Diantha spoke.

"I hope you aren't too disappointed, I wake pretty late in the day."

"Weknowthat." Gladiola confirmed. "Canweplaycardsfortheflight?"

"Sure."

They landed about 3 hours later and arrived at Felipe's Casino, Torre Agbar Las Vegas, in 3 separate limousines. "Sweetie." Sookie asked Eric with a very serious look on her face

"Yes min älskade?"

"This building looks like a giant cock. I mean, I know it was made in the image of the Torre Agbar in Barcelona, but I can't help but think he's compensating for something."

A snort actually came out at her comment before he could control himself. His Sookie was priceless since she delivered her comment with a straight face even as he felt the mischief coming from her. Deciding to play along, he offered, "a shaqdick you mean?"

"What?"

"A shaqdick, a small dick on a large man. Felipe is quite tall and broad."

"Yeah, since he erected a building like this, I'm thinking he's not proportionate like you."

Potts interjected. "TMI!"

The passengers in the limo just laughed at the interchange and agreed with Sookie's assessment once they got out and saw how large the tower really was.

Room availability was tight, but Eric called to reserve the suites as soon as the Summit was announced and now it was paying off. With the date change, he lucked out as they simply reassigned the suites he'd originally booked. It was one of the guarantees afforded the attendees when the dates was changed. He wanted everyone together: He and Sookie, Pam, Amelia, Thalia, Alcide, Potts, Peter, Gladiola and Diantha. There would never be a moment that Sookie wasn't guarded, and to be especially paranoid, he Pam and Thalia would be guarded from the suite the entire day as well. Private time would be difficult, but the need for security took precedence. Pam had pitched a fit that she and Amelia would get no private time and a large shoe ordered had been promised as compensation. When they left Shreveport, Pam was still prioritizing her choices based on the budget she'd been given.

After checking into the hotel, Sookie and Eric led their group to the two connected suites he'd booked for the duration of their stay. Once sorting out the rooms Eric announced "We need to be downstairs for the opening reception by 2AM. Alcide, Potts and Peter, I suggest you get your beauty sleep. Amelia, please start on the wards." He turned to Sookie, "We'll check in and then change for the reception."

They arrived at the Summit check-in shortly before 2 to register for the event. Packets for the participants were handed out. "Good Lord!"

"What Sookie?"

"Look at the notices in this packet." Sookie pulled the group to the side to show them the degrading pages from the booklet included in the packet. The first was simply the cover page introducing Felipe and Freyda as their hosts. The next was a reminder page about no public biting (she could handle that), no public punishments (her aggravation grew) and in an angry whisper she read the last reminder, "Pets must be CLOTHED?" Eric, what the hell?" The pitch of her voice rose as she spoke. She pointed to the note at the bottom of the page. "And you can forget spending time on the third floor if this is all permitted there."

"I don't have need of the third floor. Perhaps we can discuss this l. . . "

She flipped the page. Eric braced himself for the next comments after glancing at the picture; it was an image of a human wearing a collar and leash with a warning about keeping pets restrained. "Tell me these attitudes are the minority. Please."

"Sookie, we can discuss these notices and you can rant a rave later. Can I please get you to focus on the agenda for now?" He pleaded with his eyes and when she threatened to open her mouth he made the symbol for quiet. She was quickly escalating, and while he completely understood her upset, the lobby was filling with vampires and he couldn't take the risk of an incident. To help the situation he sent her streams of calm through the bond. "When is our presentation?"

The only noise she made was an exaggerated exhale while she glared at him. Finally she looked down at the packet and read.

Night 1: 2AM to 5AM Vendor Hall open – Exhibit floor; 12AM to 6AM: Registration; 2AM to 5AM: Opening reception – Grand Hall

Night 2: 9PM to 1AM Vendor Hall open – Exhibit floor; 9PM to 1AM: Concurrent sessions – rooms noted in the sessions packet; 1AM to 5AM Court – Grand Hall

Night 3 : 9PM to 1AM Vendor Hall open – Exhibit floor; 9PM to 1AM: Concurrent sessions – rooms noted in the sessions packet;

1AM to 5AM Pledging Mississippi and Indiana – Grand Hall

Night 4: 10PM to 2AM Closing Event – Grand Hall

Focusing on the agenda instead of her ire, Sookie pulled out the details for their session from the packet to check the time of their session. "Ok, this is good, we present tomorrow night before the trials are held. Then I guess I'm free for the night. I don't need to attend the trials, do I?"

A familiar voice answered behind her. "I would like you in attendance Mrs. Northman."

Sookie spun around with a smile on her face and knelt, Eric and the rest of their group quickly joined her on the floor. "Your Grace. What an honor to see you again."

"Please rise." She spoke to the whole group. After Sookie was standing, she leaned in to her directly and spoke quietly. "How was your honeymoon my dear?"

"Oh Amma thank you for asking. It was too short, but Eric has a surprise after this. He spoils me."

"He better or I will kick his ass."

They spoke for a few more minutes before the Ancient Pythoness left them for a meeting she needed to attend.

"Your Grace," Sookie bowed and the rest of the group mimicked her.

"I will see you tomorrow Mr. and Mrs. Northman." The Ancient Pythoness said and she walked off with her guards and hand maidens.

The Ancient Pythoness was lead to a meeting room where she was alone while waiting for her guest. She spent a moment allowing herself to feel sad for the upcoming events in Sookie's life. Being so old, she could easily detect that Sookie was pregnant. Unfortunately, being a seer, she already knew more hardship was on the horizon for her granddóttir. She was confident from her visions that once the final foes in the Americas were defeated, Eric and Sookie would have the peace they deserved and the family they desired. It was the time between now and then that she regretted. An announcement at the door took her from the sad thoughts and she greeted her guest. "Russell, please come in."

OOOoooOOOooo

Eric and his entourage returned to the Grand Hall after depositing the Summit materials in their room and changing into formal wear. A Were guard at the door to the hall stopped the group. Since Eric was holding tightly onto Sookie, the guard addressed him directly. "No donors. She will be moved to the donor room off the great hall with the others." He moved to grab Sookie's arm. "I'll take her."

Moving an arm quickly in front of the guard, Eric spat out calmly but with force, "Do not touch what is not yours."

The idiot guard responded. "If she had a leash on, I could have just grabbed that. These are the rules: No humans in the grand hall." He pointed to the doors down the hall. "All donors are being held in a sound proof room next to the grand hall. She's not dressed appropriately, but I guess they can deal with that. I can grab a spare leash to restrain her in the room."

Sookie desperately wanted to crawl in a hole and hide, but she kept her back straight and her head held high as she offered, "I'll wait in the suite Eric. Let's just call Glad and Diantha to come collect me. Then all of you can attend the reception."

"No." He stated with no room for argument. Then he glared at the guard, "Find your superior."

"I'll call him, but the answer won't change."

Stan and Liz had made their way as well. "Why are we standing outside the reception?"

Eric turned and bowed. "Your majesty, no humans are permitted in the grand hall for the reception. I am unsure if Liz is permitted to join you since she is a Were. I have requested for the guard's superior to join us." Before he'd finished speaking, Sophie-Anne and her entourage had gathered at the door as well. Stan filled her in on the situation. Sookie wanted to leave and was damn near crying. No other groups were getting into the room as they had essentially formed a blockade at these doors and no other doors were open for entrance. From the corner of his eye Eric spied one of his least favorite vampires walking towards the group: Victor Madden, Felipe's second in command. As soon as he saw Eric a smirk appeared. "Northman, I'm sure you've been told, but donors are not permitted in the grand hall. Please take your pet to the donor room and allow the other attendees to enter the hall."

"She's not a donor, she's my wife."

Victor's focus zeroed in on the wedding ring Eric wore and sneered. "Yes, well that may be true in Louisiana, but Nevada doesn't recognize a vampire and human marriage." He took a moment to look at the telepath and thought to himself, _'Oh little telepath, soon you will be ours. Nice to see that your telepathy is wrapped in such a tasty looking package. We all can't wait to get a taste of you.' _

"Be that as it may, we are bonded; surely you can't deny the meaning of a blood bond."

"We do recognize a blood bond, and for that reason the Were here will not be the one to escort her to the donor room. However, the blood bond won't get her in the door."

"Eric," He turned to see Godric approaching him. "We will be moving to New York New York, it is close enough to walk, and I have booked their ballroom. It will take them about an hour to get food and blood services set-up." Godric was thankful for the note he received from one of Pythia's handmaidens to call about the ballroom. He was sure that she had booked it ahead of time and canceled the reservation enabling him to take it.

"Who is leaving, what are you talking about?" Eric looked at Godric, clearly confused.

"DeCastro has set out rules that will not work for our group; I have simply arranged an alternate welcome for the Summit. Everyone here is invited." He opened his arms and swept them around to include the group that had gathered. "And I sent out messages to Benito, Antonio, Russell, Bart; well any other states that include more enlightened vampires."

Finally Eric sported a wicked smile thinking about Felipe and Freyda making a grand entrance into a poorly attended event. "Let's go everyone!"

Victor stood stunned by the departure of vampires from 3 regions knowing that more were going to follow based on what he heard Godric say. If a vampire could sweat, Victor would be dripping right now. This was not the plan. Felipe and Freyda wanted the telepath and had planned to use the standard rules for the kingdom to have her separated from her bonded as much as possible for information gathering. The donor pools had been filled with women glamoured to interview the telepath and find out all they could about her life: Her days, her guards, her relationships. They would need to count on some of the other group events like the trials and Russell's wedding for their plan to shape up. At least they were all staying in the hotel and that would give some of the day spies access to the telepath.

He turned around after hearing some more vampires approach the Grand Hall, but they kept walking to the lobby doors. The California, West North Central and Southeast contingents all walked out and he was sure they were headed to New York New York. Goddamn Godric!

As Victor stewed, Godric lead his group to New York New York using one of the over the road walkways and they were greeted by a man who was now serving as their onsite host for the group; he addressed Godric as the lead. "Mr. Godric?" Godric nodded. "I am Mr. Salky, your host for the evening. Follow me please. As you were told on the phone, we are working to set up the food and blood buffet, but I already have seating in the room and music for the dance floor."

"I have others still arriving."

"I have a guide available at each entrance so they will be directed to the Tribeca room, the venue for your event."

"Please lead the way."

Once in their new welcome reception, the group started moving about and greeting one another. Ensuring first that Sookie was relaxed and sitting safely with Stan and Liz, Godric eventually pulled Eric aside. "If you will give me your room keys, I am also having your and Stan's groups moved to this hotel for the duration of the Summit."

"Godric, we have. . ."

"It is already done and I've paid for several Weres to move our belongings. Call Alcide to alert him; I gave his name as the point of contact." He leaned in to speak as quietly as possible. "I just have a bad feeling and I do not want you or Sookie staying in Felipe's hotel. This move is sudden and unplanned so they will not have had time to plant bugs." He stood and spoke in a more normal tone. "Besides, I booked you and Sookie in your own suite. I know privacy was limited back at Felipe's hotel. Diantha or Glad can stay in the common area of the suite for protection."

Eric smiled. "There was no privacy with our large group. I don't know how you did it but thank you."

A small but harsh looking vampire approached Eric and Godric as they spoke. She had a large escort holding onto her arm. When Eric and Godric noticed the diminutive vampire, they smiled. "Queen Ivkin!" Godric bowed with Eric following suit. "Congratulations on your takeover of the Great Lakes Region."

"Thank you Godric, but you know is acting Queen only, please call me Kat."

"I have heard but cannot say I understand."

Her eyes darted around the room to take in the attendees before she spoke. "It is long story. I will find suitable room for discussing, yes?"

"Yes, you let me know when you are ready."

"I like to introduce my companion, Odair Braguini." She turned to her lover and pointed to each of the men in front of her. "Odair, I introduce you to Godric from Texas and Eric Northman from Louisiana. Both are friends. Eric you have recently pledged to human girl, correct?"

"Yes, just a few weeks ago." Eric was surprised to hear that Kat had held onto her Russian accent and incorrect grammar, but he respected the former sheriff, now monarch.

"Congratulations. Odair and I will pledge after political crap is sorted out in Great Lakes."

Godric navigated the next comment carefully as he had already been made privy to the takeover concerns in Kat's area. "It is nice to meet you Odair. I have heard about your involvement with the takeover."

Odair, a Were, stiffened at the comment and replied defensively. "I was only trying to protect. . ."

"I am well aware and I applaud your actions. I would certainly like to find a private place to talk."

"Godric!" Their talk was interrupted by the flamboyant Russell Edgington. "I understand you are the cause of this relocation?"

Godric nodded. "Felipe is the cause since only vampires were welcome at the opening."

"A good move. Ekaterina, you are as lovely as ever, and now you are a Queen."

"Russell, you are charming as ever." She looked to the side and noticed someone trying to get her attention. "I am being called away. Godric, I look forward to talk."

Russell, Godric and Eric continued to discuss Felipe's failure for a few moments. Knowing she would want to greet her friend, Eric sent a gentle call to Sookie to get her attention. Once she saw Russell, She moved from her current conversation to greet her friend. "Russell!" She leaned in for an air kiss on each cheek then relaxed into Eric's embrace.

"How is my bridesmaid this evening?"

"Witness Russell, I'm your witness. Pledgings don't have bridesmaids, heck most don't even have the witnesses."

"It's my Pledging if I want to call you a bridesmaid; I'm calling you a bridesmaid. Bart is calling Toni his bridesmaid. We have our programs all done up and you and Toni are bridesmaids. That's final." Godric and Eric were both chuckling at the exchange.

She just shook her head at her colorful friend. "And when do I get to meet this Toni?"

He looked around the room and spotted her so he started waiving her over. "Here she comes now."

She took one look at Godric and gasped. "Godric?"

Eric and Sookie exchanged a look while Godric's eyes narrowed. After carefully inspecting her face, he finally inquired, "Who are you?"

"My name is Toni, well Antoinette. I am a descendant of your Angelica. You are our Godric, aren't you?"

"Italy, almost 250 years ago? Your family has records that go back?"

"You mean records that go back to the vampire who loved the human side of our family? The vampire that helped my grandmother, well many times a great grandmother, escape the vampire attack on her small town? We most certainly do. I have Angelica's journals. You weren't just her adopted father, you were her hero. I can't believe I'm meeting you in person."

Russell interjected. "What's going on?" He pointed from Toni to Godric. "You know each other?"

Still in shock somewhat, Godric answered in a way to give him time to recover. "Russell, it's a long story, and I'd rather not get into it here. Maybe we can meet in my suite at 3AM, actually Eric you have the larger suite, can we intrude?" Eric nodded. "Until then, I need to ensure this party is running smoothly." He turned and took Sookie's hand looking between both she and Eric. "I want you both to be with us, to hear this story."

"Of course Papa." Sookie beamed, feeling the happiness rolling off her father-in-law.

"Now, let's enjoy ourselves." He announced with a large smile on his face and a sparkle in his eyes that Sookie had never seen on him before.

OOOoooOOOooo

Back at the Torre Agbar Las Vegas, Victor was in a panic. He had no idea the breadth of Godric's reach. He cursed himself for not notifying Felipe about the incident right away. Now, he was going to have a furious King and Queen on his hands. His head shook almost nervously as his King and Queen, Felipe and Freyda approached the Opening Reception for their 'Grand Entrance'. Godric's party had caused most of the vamps to forgo the Summit's official welcome party and Felipe and Freyda were about to walk into a sparsely populated empty hall. The vain king would probably lash out. Knowing this, Victor decided to busy himself in the office making phone calls so it would appear he tried to contain the issue.

Even though his office was a floor above the Grand Hall, he could hear Felipe scream, "WHAT. IS. GOING. ON!?" He cringed while he was on the phone but stayed safely in the office until her heard another scream. "VICTOR!" His reprieve was over; it was time to face Felipe. He walked at human speed to the Grand Hall and stood surprised at the doors. There should have been about 250 vampires in attendance: monarchs and sheriffs from each vampire region. Instead there were only about 50 present. Those representing Felipe and Freyda's Southeast Territory and the New England Region.

All the vampires in the room were looking around, surprised themselves at the lack of attendees as Victor made his way to the stage where Felipe and Freyda were already seated. He knelt, figuring it would benefit him to be extra subservient given the circumstances. "My King and Queen." He stopped to take an unneeded breath. "It seems that several regions were not pleased with the separation of vampires and pets. An alternate party was formed at New York, New York and those regions moved there."

"WHO STARTED THIS ALTERNATE PARTY AND HOW COULD YOU ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN!?" Felipe's voice boomed and echoed in the sparsely populated room.

"Godric." To Victor, the name of the much older vampire answered both of Felipe's questions. He waited patiently while Felipe worked through the information.

_'The welcome reception is not something that is required, so there is nothing I can do. This will resolve easily with the trials and the pledging being held here. For those, attendance is mandatory as part of the Summit. He knew this would greatly impact his plans for the little telepath on information they could gather tonight. He was pretty sure the Gaul was Northman's maker, but Godric couldn't protect Northman's pet for the entire Summit and he had many more plans. Yes, this would all even out with time and demanding everyone return to the Summit welcome party by going to New York, New York would only give Godric and his cohorts satisfaction. I will remain here and not mention this again_.' He turned to the band in the corner. "Why are you not playing? We have guests who want to dance." Taking Freyda's hand in his, he asked her, "Shall we open the dance floor my dear?"

OOOoooOOOooo

Later that night, a small group met in Eric and Sookie's suite to discuss the history of Godric and Toni's family. Eric, Sookie, Russell and Bart sat enthralled by Godric and Toni's story. Sookie reached for Godric's hand as she wept while he told the story of how Appius had watched him, assessing the village and then attacking and killing everyone. Russell and Eric both hissed at hearing the name Appius. Godric left out the details of watching his Maria die but the story affected Sookie and Toni greatly so Godric stopped for a few minutes. Toni took over telling a summary of the family history starting with the birth of Angelica's daughter, the girl who Godric would have considered his granddaughter.

Now Godric was also rapt as he listened to the story of his family after Holger escaped with Angelica. "Angelica and Holger stayed in Italy and made a home with a wolf pack in a small village north of Trento. They raised three children. Since they were now linked to a pack the oldest, Maria, was mated to a full Were and that process continued through the generations. Eventually full strength Weres were born which is how I am a full Were, even though there is a very small percentage of regular human in me." She paused and shook he head. "Ah, sorry. I got off topic – back to Holger and Angelica. They stayed in Italy as did their daughter Maria. It was Maria's son Stefano who moved to the new world. He landed in New York but moved quickly to the south. He'd pre-arranged to join a pack in Kentucky. They were aware he was joining with 'diluted' genes but they had friends from the Italian pack and agreed to take him in. Stefano and his descendants stayed in Kentucky for almost 150 years until they branched out into Mississippi. I was born in Mississippi and like I said, I have full Were power, as does my child."

"How old is your child?" Godric asked, captivated with the story of his descendants.

"She is almost 4; her name is Cecelia. I call her Celia." She reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet. "Here is a picture."

"She looks like my . . . she looks like Maria."

"Yes, well her father is Italian-American so the genes are there I guess."

Sookie, who had been deep in thought blurted out, "I don't understand."

The question seemed out of context so Godric probed. "My dear, what don't you understand?"

"Appius. It seemed like his attack was personal. You said he had watched you and the village. That seems personal to me."

Godric sighed. He had never revealed the history he had with Appius, and now his daughter-in-law just brought it to the forefront. He was surprised and proud that she had picked up on that subtlety of his story. After a few moments of silence and having the stares of everyone in the room he spoke. "It was personal."

Eric didn't try to hide his reaction and was in Godric's face demanding information. "What does that mean? Is there a risk you have never shared with me?"

"No, well of course there is always a risk. Right after the incident I hired guards to keep watch over you and Pam. She was so young and needed your complete focus. I didn't want you watching your back for Appius. Once Pam had grown into her vampirism, they were called off."

"You had me guarded from a distance? You never told me?"

"You were enjoying Pam when I first left you. I was in pain and couldn't, no wasn't ready to tell you what happened. Once I stopped in to see you – Pam was about 175 years dead at that time – I knew you would be able to focus and watch your back."

"Yet you never told me."

"We can discuss those particulars at another time. I think your wife is on edge trying to understand how or rather why Appius would attack me." Realizing that his anger had dominated his thoughts and the conversation, Eric backed off and nodded. Godric knew Eric wouldn't remain calm for long though. Not once he told his story.

"Almost a year before I made you I started to feel a compulsion and draw towards your homeland. I was happily living in a cave, feeding and glamouring as needed so I fought this pull. That only worked for about 4 months when the need to move north started to become painful. It only lessened as I progressed towards you. When I first was close enough to see your village, I thought my chest was going to erupt. The compulsion turned into a need, a need I fought for a short while. I eventually saw you my son, and you were glorious. I knew you were meant to be my child, however I could see you with your own little ones and I decided to stay locally and wait. I wanted to give you that time." The maker and child shared a small look of understanding and love at those words. Eric had no idea what was coming next. It was Sookie that gasped and Godric knew she had figured it out. "You know min dotter?"

"You keep talking. You tell us."

"Very well." Honestly he hoped she would blurt it out and take his burden, but that wouldn't be fair to her. "I watched as you left your village to meet your possible new wife." He turned to the side to explain quickly to the others in the room that Eric's first wife and newborn had died and he was in need of a new mother for his first 5 children. "I followed closely, but not too. I saw your face when you met Gillaug. She was a plain woman, very square, not rounded as was your 'type'. For you though, this was business so you put on a pleasant face since she would make a suitable wife and add a child to your family with the son she already had from her first marriage. You completed your deal and worked out the details then headed home. That was when I realized that the other I kept feeling around your village was Appius. Eric, Appius wanted you for his own and I could not allow it. In my time since being turned, I had not met many other vampires, we were so few and far apart, but I had met Russell and he was well aware of Appius. Russell, though our time together was brief, had warned me of this vampire, his cruelty to his own children, his thirst for death. Not just a need to feed for survival, but a true desire to kill and cause pain. I knew I could not let him take you my beautiful Viking so when he moved towards you as you walked home, I attacked him."

"The wild animals. I thought I heard animals fighting that night."

"I know. It was two vampires." He took an unneeded breath. "The fight was difficult; lasting longer than it took you to get out of the area. Appius and I are nearly the same age so we were well matched. Finally, I got a break and literally ripped his arms off figuring it would give me some time before I needed to turn you my son. He ran and I kept watch over you until I saw you complete your union with Gillaug and join your families. I was prepping for your turning shortly after that when you were called to battle and the decision was made for me. If I did not turn you that night, you would have died." He sat up a bit straighter, the burden of the long kept secret finally being removed from him. "I didn't see Appius again until he found me in Italy and you know that story now." Taking Sookie's hand and turning to her he asked, "How did you figure it out?"

"Eric told me about the wild animals he heard fighting the night he was walking home after meeting Gillaug. After you started your story it just clicked."

The room remained silent having been enthralled by the story. Eric spoke first. "I'd like to process" he gave a small smile to Sookie, having used her word, "this information but I do want to talk more about it."

"Take all the time you need Eric. We can talk whenever you want." Now Godric was concerned this story would have a negative impact on his relationship with Toni so he spoke to her next. "Toni, I understand if this causes you grief because it was my personal issues that got your ancestors. . ."

"Godric, nonsense! It was this Appius jerk. Say nothing more about this being your fault." She stood up. "Perhaps after the Summit we can meet and I can share the journals of my descendants?"

"I would like that very much." He stood and extended his hand. "Perhaps we can continue talking a bit more at the bar or my suite while we give Eric and Sookie some relaxation time tonight. I think Sookie has had a long day." He smirked at Eric knowing he had plans for his bride.

Toni took his offered hand. "Let's go. I want to hear all about your life since you left Italy. I'm going to be the family hero for meeting you."

Russell addressed the elephant in the room without care. "Yes, we must give the newlyweds some privacy for their ah honeymoon activities."

Sookie gasped. "Russell you hush!"

Russell put on an innocent face but couldn't hide his smile and said, "what did I say?"


End file.
